


Change of Heart

by hawkeyesmyguy



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 03:16:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 66,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3513242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawkeyesmyguy/pseuds/hawkeyesmyguy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hnnnng. So this whole thread happened before the mid season finale of season four I believe it was. We played that Daryl found Beth and got her home to them. HAHAHAHA THATS TOTALLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SHOW TOO. *gross sobbing* Looking back at it now, this friggin' thread hurts my soul. I love it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change of Heart

Twenty-six days. Six days on the run the first time she’d escaped them, one day the second time she’d escaped, and nineteen altogether in their captivity. Beth was sure that was how many days she’d been conscious of any way, being careful to keep track. She knew she’d lost plenty of time being unconscious and that scared her, but right now she was just forcing herself to keep breathing, keep holding on to hope that somehow she was going to get out of here and find her family again. Daryl made it out of the funeral home alive, he was searching for her. Maggie, Glenn, Rick and the others, they made it out as well and she would find them again. Those thoughts were the only thing keeping her tethered to sanity, keeping her from just laying down in the dirt and dying.

The group who had taken her weren’t going to let her get the chance to escape again, so the petite blonde was now confined to an old splintery shipping crate most of the time, punishment for trying to get away. She had permanent marks in her wrists and ankles now from being bound, and her ankle that had been caught in a hunter’s trap was mangled beyond repair now thanks to the tight bonds they kept her in when she wasn’t being forced to run behind the truck on it.

The men who had abducted her made an enterprise of snatching up women, she was one among about thirteen at the moment though the ‘inventory’ fluctuated regularly. She had never seen a group doing so well for themselves, with several secure bases and enough weapons to fight off an army of walkers. The main reason they were doing so well was because their leader understood that while money was no longer useful in these times, he could still ‘pay’ his men for their loyalty and pay off other groups who might’ve been enemies otherwise. He sent out small groups of men for supplies, but part of the supply roster was any able bodied woman that they could find.

So far Beth had avoided being used like most of the women who came through this place, she and two other girls were on ‘quarantine’ for thirty days to make sure they had no discernable diseases they could pass on to their takers, but she only had four days left. Four days till her screams would be added to those she heard every night, four days till she was used up until she dropped. Every night sitting jammed in her small prison she tried to block everything out, kept telling herself that she’d either find a way back to her family or die before letting that become her fate.

The blonde was taken out of her box on the twenty-seventh day, her body weak and strained from barely being fed enough to stay alive and being bound in such a small space for so long. The men who retrieved her told her she was going along with them on a run to take over a new place they’d found, and that she was one of the few girls they had pretty enough to be used as bait. Beth’s heart quailed at the sound of that, not wanting to know how they planned on using her, trying not to let them see her cry as they threw her in the trunk of their car, the same one they’d thrown her in the night they’d taken her and drove off, it was only once they’d slammed the lid on her that she allowed herself to weep.

Three days since Daryl and Michonne had seen what looked like a center command unit for a bunch of military guys. Though their demeanor didn't give off that vibe at all from what he had seen. He had a mind to cross paths, take what they had and run, that was what the world had come to right?

"We gotta go in." He had said to Michonne beside him, starting what became an argument between the pair when she had the guts to grab him and for a tiny girl she had just enough strength to keep him from getting to his feet.

The woman glared sternly at him, "We can't go in just the two of us. What if it's not her? Then we get ourselves killed or worse for someone we don't even know?" She hissed lowly, getting close to him as they ducked out of sight.

"The hell else are we supposed tah do? She's blonde enough, same height and weight. Got that limp with her right leg. Ain't as bad now cuz she's hidin it!" He argued, not backing down. That had to be Beth it just had to. He needed it to be her. "We can't just leave her there!"

Now Daryl sat, balancing on the tracks as he walked alone, wandering but staying within range of the rest of the group. Close enough he could hear Judith gurgling to Carol or whoever was holding her. He thought about that blonde every damn second of every damn day and it ate at him.

Maggie hollered his name, announcing that Rick and Tyresse were back and running which told them that something was up. Rick slowed to a light jog until he reached the others and Daryl quickly joined them once more. "They're linin' a few of them up. All different parts of the camp and Beth's one of them. They got her in the trunk of what looks like an old Cadillac or somethin." Rick huffed, "They opened their north gate so we know which road to take when they go."

Daryl stopped listening then, taking off at a run into the deeper parts of the woods and heading back in the direction the others came. Rick caught up to him, claiming they needed a plan. "Got a plan. Get all y'all to make a scene, ambush 'em when the gates open. I'll get the girl." He said firmly, taking lead which was uncommon for him.

Rick didn't argue, whistling after the group and all but Maggie went to follow. She stayed behind to care for Judith on her own, knowing she might ruin their plan should she tag along. Daryl didn't pay any attention to those following him, racing to the gates with his bow propped and ready to fire when he needed. He led the way to the gates on the North side and the car sat idling with the driver out talking to a few other men. Clearly they were too comfy here, hadn't seen enough people around to feel a threat.

He'd fix that. Rick yelled at him softly but Daryl continued, raised his bow and fired a single bolt into the back of one mans neck. The others ducked when the body fell, seeming to have no idea where the shot came from and before Daryl could load up again he heard Carol screaming and whistling, gaining the attention of who Daryl assumed to be Beth's captors. Should that girl be Beth.

He glanced over and saw the older woman running, "Carol!!" He screamed for her to stop but she didn't and the chaos began. He heard gun fire but as far as he could tell no one was hit quite yet. One man stumbled into the car, the gates opening just in time for Daryl to weave inside, creeping around the corner and raising his bow to draw another arrow, firing a shot at the man closest to him then rounding the car, ducking bullets and leaping over the hood of the car to get to the other male.

He beat the man's head in, slamming him against the hood until he stopped fighting. His blue eyes darted to the drivers side, running back over and shedding his bow in time to put the car in drive and tear off through the remainder of the gate. He could hear shots being fired at the car and it scared him to think she might get hit so he drove. He drove as far as he could until it felt safe again, stopping in the middle of the road and not bothering with anything but his bow and getting the trunk opened.

He worked the lock easily and saw a clash of blonde hair, enough to comfirm his theory as he cut her ties around her wrists and ankles. Daryl scooped her up and carried her back towards the woods. "Ey! Easy easy." He grunted when she started fighting him with everything she had. "You're gonna make me drop yah!"

Beth was jarred from her tears by the sounds of a fight, she jolted and screamed at the bark of gunfire, being trapped in a metal enclosure made it sound like the guns were firing right next to her ear. She felt the impact of the car being hit a few times and she screamed again, curling herself into as tiny a ball as possible and praying either not to be hit or to be hit somewhere vital so she wouldn’t have to suffer. 

Her mind tried to make sense of the sounds through the haze of panic, what was going on? Had a fight broken out among the men holding her? Was some outside party attacking? No matter what was going on, she knew she was in trouble when the car’s engine backfired and she felt the vehicle take off at top speed, the sounds of guns firing and people shouting receding into the distance.

She had no sense of how long they drove for, every second felt like an agonizing eternity as she was jostled roughly in the trunk and partially dazed by the roaring of the engine ringing in her ears. Finally the car lurched to a stop and Beth’s heart skipped, this was it. No matter who it was that opened the trunk she was as good as dead or worse. The blonde took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, wriggling her way as best she could so her legs faced out. She would wait for a chance, determined to use every last breath in her body in a last ditch effort to escape. She didn’t have much hope of succeeding, but she could at least go down fighting.

Sure enough the trunk popped open and the sudden flood of sunlight dazzled her vision, all she could make out was the rough outline of a large man bending over her and a little whimper of fear escaped her lips despite her best efforts to hold it in. Cold metal pressed to her wrists and she flinched, gasping when her bonds were abruptly cut and the next second she was being lifted out of the trunk. The blonde blinked furiously trying to clear her vision, adrenaline fueled panic giving her strength as she started to kick and flail, hoping to make him drop her so she could make a run for it.

Beth screamed as he started carrying her off the road, bucking and twisting but his iron grip barely faltered and she started to cry out of fear and frustration till his voice finally broke through and snagged at her memory, she knew that voice…

The blonde went still in the man’s grasp, glancing up and blinking again as her vision finally began to clear and beyond all hope and reason, the face matched up with the voice she had heard. “Daryl? Is- Is that really you?” Beth murmured through her tears, her heart leaping into her throat and she doubted her own sanity for a second, how could he be here? How couldhe of all people be the one who had pulled her out of that trunk?

Daryl fidgeted and grunted lowly to try and get a good hold on her again, knowing by the size of her waist, the way her eyes were colored and how light she seemed to be she was in no condition to walk. Not to mention her ankle. He was overly relieved that it was well and truly the girl he had lost nearly a month back.

 

He sighed and stopped walking, letting up on his hold until she looked up at him, seeming to piece things together. He simply nodded at first, "Yeah and I'm gonna leave your sorry ass behind if yah don't sit still." He muttered only half teasing.

She sniffled and reached up to touch his cheek, he didn't flinch away like he might have in the past, smiling softly as he looked down into her bright blue eyes. "I told 'em it was you." He muttered more to himself. "Coulda had yah back a few days ago."

He grunted again, tossing her weight a bit to get her settled more comfortably. "Figured they'd follow the roads. We got a little place set up by the tracks." He informed her, looking forward now into the setting sun as she asked who we was. "Most everybody. Carol, Maggie, Glenn... Rick Carl and Judith." He answered. 

"We've been watching those fuckers for days now. Were gonna raid the place. Shoulda fuckin done it." He said angrily, looking at her when she tried to soothe him. He said nothing more, carrying her the rest of the way until they saw a couple of the others.

Daryl jostled her a bit against his chest, readjusting his grip and she settled in more securely against him, her body greedily leeching his heat with how underweight she’d become she always felt cold now. Despite her current condition and the pain she was in, she felt like she could’ve danced all the way to the moon and back hearing him tell her that the other members of their little ragtag family were alive and reunited once more.

“No no, shh it’s good that you didn’t.” Beth hushed him when he angrily told her about how they’d known where she was being held for a few days. “They have enough guns and ammo to stock an armory, lots of men that are better trained than they look. I couldn’t bear it if anyone was killed trying to get me back.” Beth murmured softly, her voice fracturing a bit with emotion as she came to grips with the fact that she was really here in Daryl’s arms right now, that everything she’d been so desperately hoping for and ready to give up on had come true.

They walked in silence awhile longer, Beth tried to stay awake but she’d been running on empty and put through so much strain especially recently that it was a monumental struggle to hang on to consciousness. She faded in and out, her awareness narrowing to the feeling of Daryl’s strong arms around her and the few glimpses of the woods around them as he carried her. 

Daryl stopped and she heard other voices conversing, hands touching her face and shoulder briefly but in her half awake state she couldn’t sort out who they were, her hands unconsciously gripping into Daryl’s jacket tighter.

“Thank god she’s alive.” Rick murmured, gently brushing his knuckles over Beth’s cheek then glancing over the man carrying her. “You all right? Take any hits?” He asked, nodding when Daryl shook his head slightly indicating he was fine. He turned and led the way back towards the train depot they’d been using as a temporary shelter, it was about a full day’s walk away and it was already getting dark. Michonne suggested they make camp for the night and the men agreed, knowing it wasn’t wisdom to try and keep traveling once darkness fell.

They settled a fair distance from the road, deciding a fire would be too risky. Normally Daryl would be the first one helping set up a few walker trip wires, but the tracker simply set Beth down on the ground and stripped off his jacket, wrapping the petite blonde in it and pulling her into his lap again. Rick could see Beth shivering from a few feet away so he didn’t comment, knowing the girl needed what warmth the man could give her since they couldn’t build a fire.

“Here, see if she’ll drink some of this.” Rick commented, offering his canteen of water and holding up his other hand in a placating gesture when Daryl flinched at him suddenly reaching towards the bundle in his arms. “Easy, she’s safe now.” Rick breathed, knowing that the hunter was edgy at the best of times and figuring he was still dealing with his pent up anger at being made to wait to attempt a rescue. 

He remembered the way Daryl’s whole demeanor had changed telling Maggie about losing Beth back when they were being held at Terminus. The man held himself responsible and was probably beating himself up for her condition now. Daryl took the canteen from him and Rick nodded, going to help Michonne finish setting up their crude perimeter of strung cans and other debris found along the way.

Beth heard a soft deep voice calling her name and she stirred, groaning a bit in discomfort and finding that she couldn’t move as freely as she thought she ought to. Panic made her heart flutter as she suddenly realized the whole rescue had been a dream and she was back in her tiny cage. “No, no!” She mewled, her voice dry and hoarse as she struggled fruitlessly until the same voice that had pulled her from the brink did so again.

“Daryl?” She murmured, her breathing erratic as her eyes opened again and she saw his face staring down at her, his features barely discernable in the dark. He spoke her name again and she quieted, realizing that the restriction she felt was that she was wrapped up in the hunter’s jacket and she felt the reassuring solidness of his frame and arms supporting her and she was able to draw an even breath again. He held the rim of a bottle to her lips and she gratefully took a few sips of water, the cool liquid rousing her further and letting her speak easier, but she was still only about half-aware of what was going on around her.

“I’m so glad you escaped the funeral home… I just knew you would. I knew you’d live even if I didn’t… That’s all that matters, that you're safe.” Beth rambled, smiling and sipping a little more water before sinking back into the void of unconsciousness.

Daryl sighed as Beth spoke to him, hushing her a bit but in nearly the same moment her head lulled back once more and she drifted off to sleep. He caught the water bottle before it slipped from her small hands. "That ain't all that matters." He mumbled while she slept.

He couldn't help himself, brushing his hand through her hair and unmatting it as best he could while she was out. "Matters that I keep yah safe." He said to her though he knew she likely couldn't hear anyways. That didn't matter, since their drunken break down together he felt it his duty to watch over her. Least he could do for Herschel and the Greene family.

He was pleased when the others started to lay down to rest, Maggie checking on Beth and asking Daryl if he wanted help moving her. He shook his head, "I got er." He assured her, shifting and getting up with her in his arms. Daryl laid her down in the space Maggie and Glenn set up for Beth to have, tugging the covers over her frame and absently watching her another moment or two.

Beth stirred and he hushed her once more, "You're fine. Ain't gotta worry." The tracker soothed, touching her brow and getting up again to go back to his own space. He moved his blanket close enough to still be able to see her, drawing absently in the dirt while he watched her sleep.

The next morning was slow, everyone getting to their jobs while Beth slept and Maggie stayed close at her side. When the girl roused she gave her more water and brought her something to eat. She smiled through moistened eyes, trying not to cry all over again. She noted Beth looking over at Daryl who was helping clean up a bit and refusing to leave for a run. His eyes on Beth.

"He's been like that since he found you... since you got back with us." She murmured to her little sister, brushing her hair back. "Think it's sweet how worried about you he's been." She said.

Beth never would have known that she was dead to the world for nearly fourteen hours if she hadn’t been told about it after the fact, the young blonde so physically and emotionally taxed that she had simply shut down from the evening Daryl found her straight through the night and late into the next morning. When she woke her surroundings had changed entirely, having been taken back to her group’s current temporary shelter in an old train depot.

The first person to greet her when she woke was Maggie, and after a tearful greeting between the sisters the first thing the blonde needed for her own peace of mind was to make sure Daryl was close by, that she hadn’t just imagined being saved by him after all. She saw the tracker a ways off rummaging through some supplies and she breathed a little sigh of relief. The brunette recaptured her attention brushing her fingers through her hair, telling her about her grizzled guardian angel watching over her while she slept and she couldn’t help but smile at the thought, flushing a bit at her sister’s conspiratorial smile.

“I was worried for him too. For all of you. I’m so glad everyone’s back together… How did it happen?” Beth responded, her voice wobbling a bit with emotion as her eyes swept over the space, seeing a few of the people she’d come to love like family scattered around and it made her heart sing, especially seeing Carl sitting and bouncing Judith on his knee, both of Rick’s children looked so happy to be reunited.

Everyone who hadn’t gone out on a run earlier that morning gathered around when they saw Beth was awake, each filling her in on parts of their story and how they’d managed to overcome and endure and end up together again. The whole time Daryl said nothing, simply sitting at Beth’s side, close enough that she could feel his heat and presence at her shoulder but not quite touching her. Rick, Carol and Michonne were out but the rest of them managed to fill the blonde in, and a bit of a tense silence settled over all of them.

Beth glanced around at all of them, knowing they all wanted to ask to hear her story in turn but no one seemed quite able to ask her directly in light of the place Daryl and the others had rescued her from. She swallowed hard and looked over at the tracker, and true to form he didn’t speak but reached out and squeezed her knee reassuringly, silently affirming his presence and support and the simple contact gave her the courage she needed. Beth related her journey, starting from being separated from Daryl and explaining a bit about the kind of operation she had been taken to. She didn’t go into too much detail about the way she and the other women were treated, partly for their sake but also in part because talking about it made her feel like she needed to be sick.

When Rick and the others returned they had bad and good news, the bad was that they’d nearly run into men from the group who’d taken Beth who were scouring the area for her and the rest of them, and the good news was that they had found a truck that seemed in good working order and could get their group a better distance away from this place first thing in the morning. The rest of the evening was spent packing and preparing to all cram into the bed of the truck the next day, and though Beth wanted to help she was resigned to sitting with Judith most of the evening, still fatigued and in a fair amount of pain though she worked diligently to conceal it.

When darkness fell and people started to settle in for the night, Beth lay restlessly on her bedroll. Despite her physical exhaustion, her mind was buzzing with anxiety and she was afraid of what she might see in the confines of her own sleeping mind. Daryl took first watch and it made her feel a little better knowing he was watching over them all, she was able to drift off after a bit but almost immediately she was plunged into a nightmare, feeling as though being rescued had been the dream and she was really back in her tiny prison, being dragged out and beaten black and blue for daring to try and escape.

The blonde woke up in a cold sweat, shaking violently from fear and cold despite the relatively mild early fall night. She took even breaths, telling herself over and over that she was safe, but it did no good, she simply couldn’t get her pounding heart to slow or her anxious mind to ease. She felt like the second she closed her eyes again, she’d be right back in that awful place.

She jolted when the door opened but it wasn’t her captors invading, it was just Daryl coming in to be relieved of his watch shift by Glenn. Beth watched the men exchange a couple words then the tracker ambled by her sleeping area and back into his own space behind the old ticket counter to sleep. The blonde bit her lip, recalling how when she and Daryl had been alone together how much easier she’d slept with the archer nearby, feeling childish for wanting that feeling of security again but her fear was stronger than her shame at the moment.

Beth sat up, quietly getting to her feet and biting back a whimper of pain as her damaged leg protested weight being put on it, grabbing her thin wool blanket and doing her best to limp as little as possible as she crossed the space over to where Daryl had disappeared to. She walked around the low counter and saw that the tracker had made himself a nest of old blankets and canvas material of sorts under the desk, his jacket wadded under his head as a pillow. His reclined posture was relaxed but he hadn’t had the chance to fall asleep yet, and Beth bit her lip, feeling even more ridiculous now that she was under his gaze.

“Um… Hey.” She uttered softly, her cheeks burning when he responded in kind, asking her what she wanted. Beth’s leg was screaming at her to take the weight off it, and so she carefully dropped down to her knees beside Daryl’s own stretched out legs to get some relief at least. Tears were already brimming in her eyes and she hadn’t even started explaining herself yet, he had to think she was such a weak little thing by now. “I’m sorry but I can’t close my eyes without... Do you- I mean, could I…” Beth stammered, not even able to get her request out. 

Daryl was settled in his space but has barely got close enough to sleep. Beth joined him suddenly and his eyes darted up to her face, meeting her gaze and noting her flushing red. She apologized and he arched a brow, sitting up a little more and now she was crying while she pleaded to stay with him here.

"C'mon don't do that." He sighed, putting his things aside and sort of hating when they went silent and he watched her sobbing to herself for a long while. He wanted to look away but he couldn't and he certainly couldn't just leave her to do so without saying anything else.

He unrolled another blanket for her to take over and lie on the other side of his space. She rubbed her eyes and nose and rambled lowly about how she had a bad dream and he shook his head. "Get off that foot." He insisted, getting up and helping her down beside him. She still wouldn't look at him, letting him take her arm and guide her down. He pushed his makeshift pillow over to her and let her use it instead.

"Still hurtin?" Daryl asked, reaching out to help her take her socks off and when she told him not to he simply ignored her. He took her foot and put it on his thigh, "Lie down." He instructed again, running his fingers over her injured ankle and heel lightly at first and slowly working it harder. "Swear I'm gonna track those fuckers. Didn't even let yah heal." He grumbled.

He watched what he was doing to her foot rather than looked at her face. That was until she muttered he didn't need to do anything of the sort. His eyes went to hers, "You ain't really got a say in what I do. I'm a big boy Beth."

Beth knew she was overstepping already, but she didn’t really have it in her to put up more than token resistance when Daryl didn’t stop at simply letting her lie down in his space, giving her his own improvised bedding and gingerly drawing her damaged leg into his lap to inspect her mis-healed injury more closely. His touch was light at first but gradually got firmer, and it was difficult for her to keep still as her discomfort increased correspondingly.

“You’ll do nothing of the kind Daryl Dixon. You saved me, it’s over now. There’s no reason for you to needlessly risk your life over something like payback.” Beth responded to his comment, her voice thready and strained but still adamant. His narrow eyes darted up to hers and she felt her heart skip a beat at the intensity in his gaze, anger towards those who had taken her simmering under his obvious distress over the condition he’d found her in. Beth opened her mouth to argue again but only a squeak of pain escaped her lips, her leg flinching in his hands but he hushed her and refocused on his task, telling her gently to bear with it a bit longer and it would feel better over all.

Beth made herself take deep breaths, propped on her elbows watching him working her leg, massaging her permanently damaged muscle and achilles tendon with his strong fingers. He kneaded down from the top of her calf behind her knee down to her heel, mentioning under his breath about how keeping it loose and the blood flowing in the area would help her. She didn’t quite believe him with how much it hurt, until a few moments passed and she noticed that her leg was starting to feel better, her small fists unclenching and her breathing getting less shaky as he continued to tend to her.

The petite blonde watched the tracker work in silence. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but she knew the man wasn’t the kind for unnecessary words and she wasn’t sure if he would deem any of what she felt she needed to say worth bringing up. He kept massaging her leg long after it was soothed, his hands making her want to melt back into his little nest and drift off despite her fear of sleeping. He switched from her wounded leg to the other and she hummed appreciatively when he started kneading her other foot, making herself tell him he didn’t have to continue but he merely shrugged one shoulder as if to say ‘might as well’ and she didn’t argue further.

He worked over her other leg from the knee down as well, and while her other limb wasn’t injured it still felt heavenly and Beth found herself getting more and more relaxed. Finally Daryl’s motions stilled and he carefully lifted both her slender legs off his lap, lying them straight again on his improvised bed and started lying down on the bare floor beside her. Beth made a groggy noise of protest at him, gripping his cut off shirt before he could settle completely.

“You don’t have to sleep on the ground. I don’t take up much room, ‘specially not recently.” Beth laughed softly, knowing that her already willowy figure was closer to skin and bone at the moment and that was why she was so cold all the time now. Daryl insisted that he was fine, and the blonde bit her lip, “But I’m not. Please, I feel bad enough intruding on your space without making you bed down on concrete. It’s all right.” She soothed, scooting over and patting the blankets beside her. The hunter seemed conflicted on what to do and Beth held her breath waiting, hoping he would choose to lie beside her and finally he did much to her great relief.

Daryl edged up onto the pile of covers and bags, trying to keep his distance as much as possible in the small space but his arm brushed against hers and Beth shivered, her chilled body greedy for his warmth and her anxious mind greedy for the comfort of his closeness. True they had never sleptthis close together before, but back when it was just the two of them she had slept much more soundly knowing the tracker was only a few feet away.

He muttered about her feeling cold and Beth winced, trying to edge away though there wasn’t really any more room for her to back up against the desk. “Sorry, I just can’t seem to keep warm lately with the weight I lost.” She apologized, her blue eyes widening in surprise when Daryl shifted and extended his arm towards her, wordlessly offering her his warmth. She swallowed hard, her heart fluttering again and suddenly she recalled the way he had looked at her their last night together in the funeral home, before all hell broke loose. He was looking at her the same way now and it stole her breath though she wasn’t quite sure why.

“Um, thanks.” She whispered, blushing a bit and scooting towards him, unable to suppress the soft moan of sheer relief as she cuddled into his chest and his arms closed around her, warm and secure. It was pure bliss being wrapped up in his strength, feeling the steady thud of his heart against her frame and feeling his body heat soaking into her. Beth unconsciously tucked her head under his chin and shivered a bit when his large hand drew up her back to cup the nape of her neck, warming her cool exposed skin and sighing with contentment as she drifted somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.

Daryl was a little surprised at himself for having so openly and willingly let Beth lie with him and not only that but he cuddled her? He mumbled something even he didn't know what it was, perhaps a 'welcome' in return to her appreciative words but he was far too focused on cradling her like he was.

He rubbed out the tension in her neck and he felt the odd urge to press his warm lips along her cool bare skin and keep her pinned as close to him as possible forever. She was safest here where he could watch over her and they both so clearly knew it. The trackers eyes darted down to her face seeing she was passing out on him and he contemplated the idea of letting her go but there was a part of him that needed her there.

Daryl sighed softly, feeling her twitch and shiver in her sleep as she drifted off. He took the chance and kissed her brow lightly, murmuring a goodnight and watching Beth sleep for a couple hours before he even considered closing his own eyes.

It was bright through the boarded windows when he finally woke, one of the first nights he didn't take over someone elses watch... Because for once he finally slept through the evening. His eyes flew open and he gasped for breath, feeling the weight against him and startling Beth all the same. He felt this sense he still needed to look for her, help her, do something and all he did was lie here.

But... here she was. "Sorry." Daryl said, putting his hand on her upper arm and rubbing it softly to soothe her. "Didn't mean to wake yah." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes instead now. He sighed out of exhaustion, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "Go back to sleep." He whispered, watching her relax into him again but claim she wasn't all that tired anymore.

"Beth yah need more rest. As much as you can get and as much food and water as your stomach will hold. You coulda died out there." The archer said, meeting her eyes and for a long while they stared at each other. "I got business to take care of anyhow. Everybody else is probably up and about..."

 

Beth was jarred suddenly from a blissfully dreamless sleep, feeling something lurch sharply under her and she panicked, not knowing exactly where she was for a few seconds till her sleep-blurred vision cleared and her memory of coming to Daryl in the night flooded back to the forefront of her mind. “Daryl?” She squeaked, trying to get her racing heart to ease as he gently touched her, apologizing for waking her and she shook her head letting him know it was all right.

He held her face in his large hand telling her to go back to sleep and Beth felt soothed by his touch, letting her body fall back to their shared bedding but she stayed close against his frame nonetheless. “I’m not tired, that’s the most sleep I’ve gotten in I can’t remember how long.” She protested, though in all honesty she was sure she could sleep another week solid as long as she was wrapped up in Daryl’s arms. The tracker chided her gently but to her relief didn’t pull away despite claiming he had things to do outside of being her own personal space heater.

He stared at her a moment longer then actually made the attempt to get up and Beth’s insides clenched as it suddenly occurred to her just what ‘business’ he was referring to. Quicker than thought she reached out and fisted the front of his worn out shirt, keeping him from rising further, sitting up on her elbow at the same time so their faces were only a whisper apart. He looked at her with shock and confusion mingled in his eyes and Beth swallowed hard to keep the lump of emotion forming in her throat from getting any bigger.

“Business? You mean like going back to the place I was being held at for blood?” She asked with a note of desperation, her fear confirmed when his gaze dropped from hers and he told her not to worry about where he was going. “Daryl,” Beth hissed his name, not wanting to raise her voice for fear of being overheard since he was likely correct that others of their little family were awake now and the bare floors and walls of this place sent off echoes. “You can’t!” She insisted, gripping him harder when he tried to pull away with more force, making him have to choose between staying put and yanking her hard enough to risk hurting her to extract himself so he didn’t try.

He told her in a bit rougher tone that he’d do what needed to be done, and tears pricked Beth’s eyes out of fear and frustration with the man’s stubbornness, “You don’t need to go after them! You don’t need to hunt them down and you don’t need to risk your life on petty vengeance! What you need to do is stay right here, with me. Stay where I can see you-” Beth’s voice faltered with emotion and she released her grip on his shirt to brush her hand over his face, “Stay where you can hear me if I call… The only thing that kept me alive in that awful place was clinging to the hope that I’d see you again, that you’d come for me somehow, some way. I can’t lose you again!” Beth wept softly, closing the small distance left between them and pressing her lips to Daryl’s.

The contact was desperate and needy, not at all delicate but she didn’t care, Beth simply couldn’t stand the thought of being parted from her tracker again when they’d only just been reunited by some miracle or amazingly lucky twist of fate. She clung to him, not thinking about anything else but how much she needed him to stay with her, how good it felt to lie pressed up against him with his mouth on hers. It felt better than she ever could have imagined and after a second her impulsive act of desperation gave way to the realization that when she and Daryl had been alone back in the funeral home and for that brief moment last night, thiswas why her heart had been racing, because she wanted this from him, needed him in every way imaginable, as a protector, a friend, and now even more.

Daryls sharp blue eyes stared down at Beth as she gripped his shirt and half order half pleaded that he stay here still. Her voice low likely because they knew the others were around somewhere, more likely outside than in but still. He didn't know what to say to her in response, simply stayed still and gripped her wrist trying to pry her off a bit but she had an iron grip on him.

"Beth it's okay." He soothed but before the words even stumbled past his parted lips she had dragged him down the last few inches and her lips were sealed against his. It took Daryl longer than a moment for the contact to even register for what it was, his grip loosening on her wrist as they kissed.

Slowly but just as eagerly Daryl reacted and returned the kiss in kind, their mouths greedy for one another and he wondered if she wanted this or if she was simply desperate for the attention in some way from having been gone as long as she was and not to mention the things they likely did to her.

His grip tightened as it went to her side, kissing her deeply and breaking away only to breathe. It was then that what they did registered and then that he felt her tugging him back in bed with her. "Beth..." He murmured, still breathing raggedly. "I got stuff I gotta do. Even if I don't go after those guys. You need to rest." He played it off as best he could, meeting her pretty blue eyes and letting her kiss him again like she so clearly wanted.

"Go to sleep." He whispered, his lips brushing hers. "I'll keep you safe. Be here when you wake... I promise." Daryl mumbled, pulling away and leaning against the wall as he watched her, wondering what their contact meant deep down.

Beth felt their fervent kiss from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, craving more she pulled him in for another kiss though it was a bit more gentle since he’d relieved her fears at least for the moment that he wasn’t going to go after those men single-handedly. It suddenly occurred to her how out of the blue her actions had been and her insides clenched. Just because kissing him felt wonderful and right to her didn’t mean he felt the same, maybe the last thing he wanted was contact like that from her, though she could tell he didn’t mind the physical aspect of it too much at least with the ragged way he was breathing and his blown out pupils staring back at her after they broke apart.

“All right… I’ll hold you to that promise.” She relented in a quiet shaky voice, trying to even out her breathing though it was difficult under his piercing gaze. Beth reached under her head and extracted his rolled up jacket, handing it to him and pillowing her head on her arm instead as she settled back down. Daryl took it with a nod, getting up and donning it, telling her to rest again and not saying a word about what they’d just done. 

She agreed without quite meeting his eyes again, knowing that what she’d done had created a sense of awkwardness between them even if he had responded to her kiss in the heat of the moment. She almost felt like she should apologize for kissing him, except that she really wasn’t sorry for it, if anything she just wanted more from him now that she better understood her feelings towards the gruff tracker.

Daryl grabbed his bow and knife and left her lying there, his residual heat left in the blankets a small comfort in his stead. The blonde turned and buried her face from view, sighing and wondering if there was any way she could manage to embarrass herself further or if she’d hit the ceiling on that with kissing Daryl like there was no tomorrow. She did manage to drift back off to sleep though, replaying their contact over and over and at first the memory of him holding her safe kept the nightmares at bay, so she was able to sleep into the afternoon until her dreams took a dark turn and she woke up shaking and whimpering softly to her sister gently jostling her shoulder murmuring sweetly to her that she was all right.

“Maggie? Oh thank god you’re safe. I dreamt you were… You were there with me and they…” Beth cried, not finishing her sentence since the image of watching her sister be raped and killed before her eyes was too horrible to voice aloud. The brunette gathered her up and rocked her like she might a small child, soothing her till she cried herself out. After a moment Maggie helped her up and the pair of women left the small space, the older sister getting the younger one some food and water as well as a bucket of water and a fairly clean rag to at least be able to clean up a little bit. The water was cold but it was worth feeling chilled afterward for the chance of getting some of the dirt and grime off her skin.

Maggie didn’t say anything about having found her sleeping in Daryl’s little area, but the woman kept staring at her while she at and got cleaned up so she knew she wanted to. “Aren’t you gonna ask about… Me sleeping with Daryl last night?” Beth finally blurted out, making her older sister grin crookedly and ask her what she meant exactly by ‘sleeping with’ the archer. Beth flushed and shook her head, trying to keep the memory of them kissing from the front of her mind so she could think clearly, “It wasn’t anything like that, I just… The nightmares were real bad and I didn’t wanna bother you and Glenn.” Beth responded somewhat sheepishly, one glance at Maggie told her that her sister knew she wasn’t getting the whole story.

“And before when he and I were on our own… I sorta got used to having him close by when I slept, made me feel safer then. And it makes me feel safer now. I don’t think he’d ever want anything like that with me.” Beth continued, getting more embarrassed by the second thinking about the awkwardness she’d felt when Daryl got up to leave, the more distance she got from it the more she was afraid it had been a mistake to follow her impulse to kiss him even if she still would do it again given the chance. Maggie laughed gently and told her to relax, saying she wasn’t so sure it was as impossible as she said and asking Beth if she wanted the tracker that way with a sly smile.

Beth’s blue eyes widened and her brain stalled out for a second, biting her tongue on her response when Daryl and Rick came back into the main space of the train depot to collect the last of their things to start the trek as far away from this place as their truck would take them. The young blonde glanced up at Daryl and their eyes met, he nodded at her but then looked away quickly and Beth sighed internally, more sure than ever that she shouldn’t have overstepped like she did but she was hopeful that he would let her just write the kiss off and they could go on being close like they were getting to before.

Maggie smirked to herself as she watched their exchange, taking her little sister's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I think regardless of what it means or doesn't mean... it's great you two find comfort in each other. I mean I've never known Daryl to be a big sharer but I know things are different and they're gonna keep changin." She said around a smile of reassurance.

"I love you. Glenn loves you and we're all real glad you're back. That's what matters. If Daryls what keeps the fear away... if he's your comfort like Glenn is mine, you go right ahead. Just guard your heart okay? I want you safe. That's all." She muttered, brushing her sister's blonde hair back. "I'll bring you something to eat while you get cleaned up."

\----

Daryl went out with Rick and the pair along with Michonne didn't get back until late that evening. He wandered back to his space to put his weapons away so he could eat with the others. It was no surprise to find a slightly cleaner Beth cuddled up with a journal in her lap. She jumped a bit when he set his bow down, catching her attention and her eyes met his instantly.

"Why yah back here?" He murmured, tossing his knife down as well and shrugging off his coat. He balled it up and handed it to her for her to use and she still seemed a little off as she asked if he minded. The hunter shook his head, "Probably shouldn't make it a habit but... if it helps I can't tell yah no." He said, "Did you eat?"

Beth shook her head, claiming she was fine and mentioning that all the food was making her feel a little ill. "Better yah shit your pants than starve. Least you'll have nutrients." He said, making her laugh as he went back out and grabbed them both food.

He returned and sat on the blanket across from her, making sure she ate all she could manage, frowning when she didn't finish. Daryl could have sworn he saw tears in her pretty blue eyes. He shifted closer like he thought she might want, took her bowl. "You ain't gotta cry about it. Not gonna force it down your throat." He said, trying to joke but it didn't go over like he might have hoped.

He set their food aside and pulled her towards him easily. The tracker hushed her, "You're home now. It ain't gotta be like that... you ain't gotta be scared." He informed her as if she didnt know at all. He opened his arm more at her prompting and let her curl into his side for comfort, barely hearing her beg him not to make her sleep alone.

"I won't." He kept saying, rubbing her back until she stopped crying. Beth sat up and he sighed, hearing most everyone getting ready to bed down themselves. He followed the same routine as the night before and grabbed her leg, pulling off her socks and working her torn up injured foot. "Tomorrow you should try to walk on it. Keep the muscle loose. Know it hurts but... it'll be better for it." He said, looking up at her.

After breakfast Daryl headed out to look for supplies with Rich and Michonne, namely for gasoline for their truck and while Beth still didn’t like the tracker going off out of her sight she felt better knowing he wasn’t going alone and he had a job to do so he wouldn’t be tempted to go and challenge her captors. They were gone till dark and Beth spent the day with Maggie and Carol, catching up and tending Judith. Her thoughts perpetually wandered back to Daryl and their kiss, but by the time night was falling she had basically convinced herself that that wasn’t going to happen again and she needed to make peace with it.

Beth was almost positive that the only way she was going to get any decent sleep was if she rested with Daryl again, and while she was still nervous about confronting him after the morning’s events she reminded herself that even if the tracker didn’t want her that way he still cared for her and wanted her to regain her strength, he’d told her she needed to rest and eat more than anyone else after all. She got settled in his little nest of blankets behind the ticket counter, waiting for the hunter to return spending time reading through her worn little journal while she still had enough light to see by.

She was deeply touched that Daryl had kept the journal for her all this time, Maggie had been the one to give it back to her but she explained that it had been among the few things he’d had on him when they all met again in Terminus and that he’d given it over to her for safe keeping once they escaped, seemingly not comfortable hanging on to it himself but obviously he’d felt it was important or he wouldn’t have kept it.

Just as it was getting too dark to read her old inscriptions, Daryl returned and Beth felt her stomach start twisting itself into knots the second he laid eyes on her in his space. She managed to navigate her way calmly through their minimal conversation, relaxing somewhat when he didn’t seem to feel uncomfortable holding her or touching her as though their kiss this morning had never happened. She figured his lack of comment on the matter was comment in and of itself, and she felt lucky that he was content to just pretend it hadn’t happened rather than telling her no outright. 

His touch soothed her but when he told her she didn’t have to be scared it brought tears to her eyes, because that was just the problem, she wasscared. She was terrified and she was realizing more and more now that while she was afraid for herself and what awaited her in her dreams, she was even more scared for an entirely new reason. Now that she had her family back, had Daryl back… She was terrified of losing them again. 

She tried to hold her tears in but he could see right through her, opening his arms up just like he had the night before for her to take comfort in his warmth. Beth did so and for awhile she didn’t think about any remaining awkwardness at all, simply needing the shelter he offered and not thinking of anything else. “Please… Please don’t make me go sleep on my own. I don’t wanna be alone.” She sobbed softly, nuzzling into him harder when he agreed to let her stay.

He held her awhile longer till Beth calmed down and she was able to think more clearly again, realizing she had been clinging to him for a long time now and that she probably ought to give the man a little space to breathe. The blonde sat up away from him, clearing her throat gently and wiping her eyes, hoping her over indulgence in being close to him wasn’t going to make him change his mind.

Daryl grabbed her crippled leg again and started working it over like he’d done the night before, and again the process was painful at the start but it was easier to focus on that then the conflicting emotions and thoughts swirling around in her head. He advised that she start walking on it again the next day and Beth nodded, wincing and biting her lip trying to keep still for him as he massaged her, belatedly realizing he was staring at her face and she blushed slightly when she their eyes met.

“What is it?” Beth asked, wondering if he was going to bring up this morning after all but after another long moment of silence Daryl shrugged and shook his head, simply mentioning that he noticed the color looked better in her face compared to the day before. The blonde exhaled with a measure of relief, smiling slightly at his comment, “Well I might not be ready for the Miss Georgia pageant just yet but I do feel a lot better than I have in weeks thanks to you findin’ me.” She responded, her stomach doing a little flip when he chuckled lightly at her comment telling her she was a lot prettier than any fake pageant girl. As soon as he said it he glanced at her almost in disbelief that the words had left his own mouth, and Beth just smiled at him letting him know not to worry.

The archer returned his focus to her leg, and the work he was doing was finally starting to feel good rather than painful and Beth let herself lie back while he worked, fighting to stay awake and losing the battle. It did make her heart hurt to think that she’d never get to kiss him again like she wanted, but having a friend who was willing to tend to her like this was a pretty amazing thing in itself nowadays so the blonde resolved not to hold on to any regrets, she would keep her feelings to herself from now on and be content with the support and care he was willing to give her.

Daryl absently smiled as Beth started drifting off under his touch, running his hands further up her legs. She really was a gorgeous girl... he'd be lying if he said he hadn't considered her before. Despite being much younger, he wondered if any of it could even work. If he even deserved a shot when she could do a thousand times better with anyone else.

She mewled in her tired state and he found himself wanting to climb over her, press his lips to hers again but he kept back. He shifted after she was nearly completely asleep, pulling a blanket over her frame and whispering quietly for her to settle in his arms. Beth hardly even registered it but still she moved over and cuddled into his broad chest, eyes remaining closed as she yawned and nuzzled into him.

"Night." He muttered, staying awake for an hour or two yet again so he could watch over her while she rested. He still had lingering fears that she might vanish even in his own grasp.

The next morning he woke her this time on purpose, running his hands over her calves as she roused. "You need to get up and movin." He said, rubbing out the tension that had rebuilt in her injured foot. She winced but he tightened his grip to keep her from pulling out of his hold.

The tracker looked her over still half tucked under the covers with his jacket under her head. "Thought you and I'd just go... there's like a watering hole about half a mile out. Think you can make it. Then you can clean up. No offense but you're gettin pretty rank." He teased, chuckling when she moved to sit up just enough to smack his shoulder and make fun of his own unwelcomed scent. "You ain't required to sleep with me." He reminded her, still smiling the way he only really did for those he cared about.

He helped her up and grabbed them food on the run, looping her arm around his frame to guide her down the steps and along the trail there. They were about halfway when he could hear her whimpering softly with each step, likely trying not to cry. Daryl turned aorund and she was far behind him.

He went to her, without her asking he scooped her up, urged her legs around his waist and held her somewhat like an infant. "It's not much further. We'll get there and rest and the water will probably help yah walk back. Loosen up a bit." He soothed, adjusting her weight and grinning when she thanked him, apologizing for needing him.

“Thanks, sorry for being a burden on you.” Beth said softly as he carried her along, smiling back when he grinned at her little double meaning. She rested her chin on his shoulder as he walked, watching the woods slowly pass by and the combination of his steady pace and warm frame was soothing, she hardly even noticed the throbbing in her leg. They got to the place Daryl spoke of which turned out to be a river, wide and shallow in this area for the most part as long as you didn’t go out to the very center where the current was stronger.

Daryl set her down and they ate some of the rations he’d brought along, sitting in companionable silence watching the water glide by. The tracker finally broke the quiet, standing up and wiping his hands on his pants before offering her a hand up, telling her he’d keep watch while she cleaned up. Beth nodded and took his hand, letting him haul her up and making a little apprehensive noise in her throat.

“It’s gonna be cold isn’t it.” She commented, smiling crookedly when Daryl chuckled and confirmed that it was but at least the shallows should be warmed by the sun somewhat if she didn’t go out too deep. The blonde let him help her remove her boots, wincing a bit when he pulled the one off her injured leg but simply nodding when he asked if she was alright trying to put him more at ease. He straightened back up after getting her shoes off and the pair stared at each other for an awkward moment.

“All right… No peeking.” Beth finally said with a little laugh, taking a half step back from him and grinning at the look he gave her. The tracker shook his head sat himself back down on the sandy river bank, his heavy crossbow close at hand just in case. Beth felt more than a little odd peeling her jeans and shirt off out here in the open, but knowing her companion could simply turn and look her over any time he felt like it didn’t bother her like she had been expecting it to. Unlike the awful pigs who had taken her and stripped her down to check her for bites and scratches once then several times again for their own amusement, Beth knew she could trust Daryl completely.

The blonde didn’t have any underwear on, the pair she’d had when she was taken had been ripped off her body and so far she just hadn’t had the thought or chance to ask Maggie if she had any to spare, but she left her bra on for at least a little bit of coverage. She limped out into the water until she was about knee deep, grateful that the water was at least not frigid thanks to the sun warming it like Daryl had said. She wanted to go deeper, she had always been a strong swimmer growing up with a pond on her daddy’s land but now with her leg she felt like it wasn’t worth the risk. She knelt down in the silt and sand gasping a bit as the cool water closed over her lower half, using some of the sand to scrub at her skin and craning over to rinse out her blonde hair thoroughly.

Her wounded leg started to protest the position she was in and so she glided out till the water was up to her neck so she could balance on her good foot while the water held her up for the most part allowing her to knead her damaged leg like Daryl had done for her, loosening it up and even with the cold water it felt a lot better. She heard Daryl holler at her after awhile asking if she was done yet and she laughed.

“Hey you’re the one who was complaining about how I smell remember? Hold your horses.” She giggled, dunking her head under the water to scrub her fingers through her hair again. The girl had always been comfortable in the water, able to hold her breath for a decent amount of time and being under the surface looking around through the relatively clear water made her feel almost like she could be back home on the farm in her old swimming hole and it cheered her heart. 

When she surfaced Daryl was rushing through the water towards her rapidly and she squeaked from surprise as he scooped her up in almost the same instant that her head popped back up, her heart thudding with alarm as her first thought was that walkers had shown up and there were too many for the hunter to feel that he could fight off alone so he’d retreated out into the water. But a glance over his shoulder as he pulled her closer revealed an empty shore and Beth sputtered and wiped the water from her eyes, trying to process why he was suddenly acting so frantic.

“Daryl? What is it, what are you doing?” She demanded, not quite trying to push out of his grip but bracing her hands against his chest trying to stop him from hauling her with him like he seemed keen to do. His narrow eyes widened in some sort of realization and he stopped trying to pull her through the water, his grip on her arms still painfully tight and his chest heaving with what seemed like panicked breaths. He winced and told her not to go under the water like she had, haltingly admitting that he’d spoken to her again and when he got no response and looked, he’d thought she was drowning.

Beth’s light brows rose and she shook her head, trying not to laugh since he obviously was taking the matter very seriously, probably still jumpy about losing track of her considering that she’d only just been recovered. “No not at all, Daryl I- I was just underwater looking around like I used to back home in our pond.” She explained, feeling bad when she saw him trying to hide the distress he’d experienced and even seemed a little embarrassed for rushing out into the water over what turned out to be nothing.

Beth tried to calm her own heart rate, taking a deep breath and reaching up to grip his neck so he couldn’t pull away from her, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you. Thanks for coming to my rescue anyway.” She murmured just above a whisper, smiling sweetly at him hoping he wasn’t upset with her now. To her surprise he didn’t tug away from her, rather he pulled her in against him, hugging her to his frame in the water and the blonde’s heart rate shot up again for entirely different reasons. She hadn’t given much thought to her state of undress when a bigger problem like possibly being overrun by walkers was plaguing her mind, but now being held by him she became keenly aware of every inch of contact their bodies shared, her bare skin pressed up to his still mostly clothed frame.

“Um… Daryl…” Beth barely managed to squeak with how tight he was holding her, her cheeks flushed from the feeling of his body aligned with hers and his breath on her neck where his face was buried into it. She felt awful for not even considering how it might look to him not getting an answer from her and finding that she’d gone underwater and wasn’t coming back up, but at the same time the way he was embracing her almost totally bare was not helping her commitment to forsaking her feelings for the hunter that went beyond friendship.

Daryl held Beth tight, his heart still pounding as he thought about her under the water and never surfacing again. His hands stayed pressed firmly to her small back, brushing his thumb over her smooth flesh and easing his breathing as he felt her breath against him as well as faintly heard her own racing heart.

She muttered his name and he hummed in acknowledgement but she said nothing more. His large hands traveled and soon enough he felt more bare skin than he'd have guessed, her hips were bare... the hunters brow rose and he cleared his throat self consciously. His blue eyes catching sight of her bare ass through the clear water and he quickly let her go.

"Sorry. Didn't realize you'd be... basically naked in here." He mumbled, pushing her hips back but she fought him, her grip around his neck tightening and she shook her head mentioning she didn't mind if he saw. She wanted him to look.

Daryl clenched his jaw and forced his gaze to the trees to avoid doing so. "Beth I ain't gonna ogle you." He stated, laughing when she whispered that she wanted him to. He realized now that their fingers were laced and she was staring at him with intent focus. "You don't owe me nothin'."

He looked into her bright eyes and saw the pure honesty there. Making him shake his head, "What cha want with an old man anyhow?" He asked, letting her fingers go but she took to bracing her hands on his hips as she asked him if he thought about their kiss.

Daryl shrugged, wanting to play it off, never wanting her to feel she owed him or held obligation. "Guess I have a couple times yeah. But it don't matter. I'm just supposed tah be protecting you. Sleep by me not with me yknow?" He whispered, staring at her for a long while and licking his lips.

“Don’t be sorry, I don’t mind if you look.” Beth cooed, keeping a hold of the tracker despite the way he craned his head away to avoid looking her over. He was obviously uncomfortable with the situation but not so much so that he kept trying to put a stop to it, obviously he could break away from her any time he saw fit with his superior strength but he allowed her to keep him close. “I… Want you to look at me.” Beth insisted, swallowing her nerves as best she could knowing that pushing him like this could either end very well or very badly.

He reluctantly turned back to face her but kept his gaze trained strictly on her face, asking her what she was doing wanting to mess around with an ‘old man’ and she smiled fondly at him. “You’re not that old, besides you run circles around every guy my age I’ve met anyway.” She commented, flushing a bit as she finally plucked up the courage to voice what she’d been burning to ask since it happened, “Daryl have you… Thought about when we kissed?” She questioned,, her heart fluttering in her chest like a frightened bird in a cage.

He answered as casually as he could that perhaps he had, but it was irrelevant either way since he recognized that his role was to be her protector and nothing more. Beth’s cornflower eyes darted between his own stormier blue orbs, her gaze flickering down distracted by him licking his lips and she craved feeling his mouth on hers again about as much as she did food when she was starving. She hooked her arms tighter around his corded neck, hoping that the fact that he still hadn’t insisted on moving away from her was a good sign that he really was interested in spite of the words he spoke.

“Who says that’s all you’re supposed to do? All you’re allowed to be? I don’t think I saw that written down any place.” Beth whispered with a smile, trying to keep her tone light but it was difficult when she was aching for him to accept how she felt about him, to reciprocate those feelings if possible. “I’m not… Spoiled, if you’re worried about that. They beat me and starved me but they never did anything else-” Beth struggled to speak of the matter, her voice fracturing a bit with emotion hoping that he wasn’t wary of her because he saw her as potentially diseased and ruined goods.

“If you had only been a few days later it might’ve been different, but I would’a died before I let them touch me.” She added, gripping his damp dark hair at the nape of his neck and biting her lip trying to stop it from quivering. “I’m not trying to pay a debt, I could never repay you for everything you’ve done for me, for all of us Daryl. I just… Want this. I want you because I care for you, and most importantly because I trust you. I trust you more than anyone else I’ve ever known. So I understand it if you don’t want me, that’s all right I can live with it. But if you’re just holdin’ back ‘cause you think you’re not fit for me somehow, then don’t because there is no one else I’d rather have.” Beth urged him, pressing herself as tightly to him as she could, pressing her lips to his once more and praying that she hadn’t just ruined the friendship they had by admitting all of that.

Daryl grunted a little in his throat when their mouths collided but after only a second more of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her once more and responded to her kiss, making her melt with a mixture of want and relief when he deepened the contact. He pulled back and said far more adamantly than she would’ve guessed that there was no way in hell he could not want her, kissing her ravenously once more. Beth mewled as he prodded insistently at her lips with his tongue, granting him access and tipping her head for a better angle, hooking her leg around his waist under the water to keep him trapped against her as closely as possible. 

She felt a thrill run up and down her spine as she felt the evidence of his body reacting to her pressing against her abdomen through his jeans and she shifted to align their hips better as they kissed, instinctively grinding against him and earning a deep growl in his chest from her actions. Daryl’s hands swept up and down her body, sweeping down her back to grip her ass, down to hook her thigh more firmly around him, back up over the swell of her small pert breasts through her wet bra cups.

Beth mewled at his touch, nipping lightly at the tracker’s lower lip and shuddering when he gripped her tight and started rocking his hips back into hers, her body feeling more alive than it had in ages and she wanted more. Daryl groaned roughly as they broke apart for breath, starting to tell her that they needed to slow down and she was about to insist that they do no such thing when he glanced over her shoulder and cursed sharply. The blonde turned in his arms to see what had caught his attention, seeing the pair of walkers emerging from the tree line ambling almost drunkenly towards them. 

Daryl ravished Beth's mouth far more insistently than before, "There's no way in hell I couldn't want you." He half growled agait her lips, tugging her chin for a better angle to taste her deeper and gripping her body to pull her as flush against him as he could.

He had been close to her before, felt her in his arms though maybe not like this... but he could tell how much thinner she was. "We should slow down." He moaned, rocking against her and having trouble keeping control of his primal urges as he recalled how bare she was. He could have her in a heartbeat and perhaps he would.

They were both panting with want when he caught sight of invaders. Two walkers dragging their feet at first and making him curse. A part of him wanted to ignore it and hope they passed but it seemed a little odd to have the audience anyhow.

The tracker pressed a finger to his lips and urged her to be quiet, holding onto her back and keeping her wrapped around his body more out of protection now than anything else. "Go get dressed. Move slow." He murmured but as soon as he spoke and turned to set her down the walkers started faster, racing hungrily towards them.

Beth couldn't run not at all but he grabbed her and carried her himself to shore. Daryl snagged his bow and knife, putting the blade in place on his hip and drawing an arrow, firing a bolt tiwards the first as they snarled loudly. He grabbed for another but it wasn't worth it, picking his knife out and jamming it through the others skull instead when he got close enough.

He heard Beth call him from around the rocks they had been up against earlier. She had barely gotten her pants on, not even zipped when another group of geeks started towards them from where she stood. Her foot had jammed in the rocks and she was crying out of fear, killing one that got close and Daryl spun around, running towards her and firing bolt after bolt as fast as he could.

He drove his blade through a fourth then fifth and though it was clear it didn't stop him from standing guard in front of her. The hunter panted and kept her from danger should more happen upon them, lowering his bow and turning to help her. He bent and as gently as he could he pried her foot free from the log and rocks it was caught between.

When he straightened she was breathing heavy and reaching for him. "You're fine." He said simply to soothe, tugging her by the waist and letting her fold down over his upper body. She slumped and clung to him for a long while, mentioning how tired she was of all this. "Makes two of us. We got caught up... forgot about the world. It happens." He said, kissing her neck ever so lightly.

He let her go enough to grab her shirt and help her tug it on, looking her over one last time to check for injuries before he urged her to get moving. "Put this on your back. Like before." He muttered, turning around and gesturing with his hands for her to hop onto his back. She laughed, doing as he prompted and climbing up onto him like she used to. "Think yah had enough for one day."

Daryl grinned as he felt her brush his hair back and kiss the side of his head, nuzzling into him as he easily hauled her back towards their latest home. "How you holdin up?" He asked after a while, running his fingers over her legs absently as they walked.

 

“I’m just fine.” Beth murmured against his neck, and she meant it. Despite the fact that their lives had been in peril not moments ago and the added bonus of her already lame leg being jammed up in some rocks, there was a smile on the blonde’s face. She knew now, knew that it wasn’t just her who felt something more for him, Daryl had confirmed with word and action alike that he was at least receptive to the notion of more with her.

She wasn’t naive enough to just assume that he needed her in the same consuming way that she needed him, but for now if he cared for her, felt driven to protect and comfort her as well as being willing to give her more of what they’d started doing before they were so violently interrupted, Beth could live with that. As he carried her safe and secure on his back, she knew in her heart that she loved the tracker, the thought of losing him hurt her too much for it to be anything less. She knew Daryl and she knew the world they lived in, even if he didn’t love her back, even if the odds were against them, she would go on loving him with till she drew her last breath.

Daryl carried her back to the train depot, nearly everything was prepared for them to leave in search of a safer, hopefully more permanent location for the group.The hunter explained away his sodden clothing by explaining he had to rinse the muck off from killing walkers they encountered on their little outing, which was true at least in part. It made Beth’s heart flutter when he set her down but caught her hand behind his back, squeezing it once before releasing her to go get changed. Beth finally had the chance to ask Maggie about clothes, and while there wasn’t much she at least got a fresh shirt to trade out her old one.

The group all ate an evening meal together, solidifying their plans for which direction they would try the next day and how duties would be split up for the journey. Beth felt a little guilty, knowing that the others had more to do and worry about now that she was back, still weakened and unable to contribute much or travel very well. She tried to insist that she didn’t need to ride up front in the truck when Rick told her she’d sit in the cab and hold Judith regardless of who drove or who rode in the bed of the truck. Daryl interrupted her, telling her not to worry about taking it easier till she got her strength back, gently reminding her that they all understood and agreeing with Rick when their leader mentioned Judith tended to fuss less with her anyway.

The blonde sighed, not liking the idea of putting the others out any better but knowing she didn’t have any choice in the matter really. Daryl smiled softly at her when she relented, and she felt butterflies when he gently brushed his knuckles over her back before letting his hand drop behind him again. The touch was quick and she wasn’t sure if anyone else caught it, but when she looked up at Michonne the woman was staring right at her, a tiny knowing smile on her face and Beth blushed, hoping the woman wasn’t going to make a big deal out of the subtle change in the dynamic between her and the tracker.

They cleaned up from their final meal in this place, no one voiced it but there was an air of anxiousness hanging over all of them, a nervous energy as they contemplated their journey starting the following day. Everyone agreed that they couldn’t stay at the train depot any longer, it was too exposed, and now they knew as well that it was too close to the compound the men who had taken Beth occupied. But there was plenty of danger in traveling as well, and while they were all willing to take the risk for the chance of finding something better, it didn’t make it any less daunting.

One by one the group left their little improvised cooking fire in the main space of the station to find what sleep they could, but Beth wondered how much rest anyone would get with how keyed up they all were, she knew she certainly wouldn’t be able to sleep any time soon. After awhile only she and Daryl remained, and the tracker stood and looked down at her expectantly. The blonde felt another wave of butterflies and she held her hand out to him, he took it and helped her up without her having to ask out loud. She didn’t release his hand once she was standing, looking up at him a little nervously.

“So is it still alright if Il… Bunk with you?” Beth asked in a small voice, wondering if his willingness from earlier wouldn’t carry over when they weren’t exactly off on their own completely any more.

Daryl turned their hands and laced their fingers instead, he might not have her to himself right now exactly but with the world how it was now he took what he could. She questioned if she could stay with him and he grinned, nodding his head. "I sleep better with yah there too." He informed.

Beth smiled and her cheeks reddened at his words but he pretended not to notice, looping his arm around her instead and pulling her close to kiss the side of her head. "C'mon kid." He muttered, guiding her with him and being quiet while the others bedded down as well.

He led the way towards their recently shared space and he urged her to lie down first, joining her when she asked him to. He sat up to take his boots off, following with hers and gently brushing his fingers over her ankle. "Here." He grunted as he rolled over, grabbing one of his shirts and balling it up to put under her foot so it could be propped up. "Might relieve it a bit."

He sighed as he laid back fully, opening his arm so she could settle into him like before. She thanked him and he shrugged again, taking her hand that lay across his middle, not missing how she picked at his buttons. "First aid and trackin... what I'm good for." The hunter mumbled. 

The blonde beside him sighed and for the first time he closed his eyes before hers, slowly drifting off at the feeling of her fingers in his hair while the others grasped his own digits. He shifted and they both rolled into each other but her hand ventured lower along his hemline. He brushed her hip gently, feeling her lips on his, returning her kisses in the quiet evening.

Beth asked if he still wanted her and his eyes opened, softly speaking her name. "Yeah. But Beth I ain't gonna let your first time be in a crowded room on the floor of an old train depo." He half groaned, her fingers brushing along his crotch and tugging his belt. He loosely took her wrist and kissed her again slowly, "Yah need sleep Gorgeous." He chided.

 

“You’re good for a lot more than that.” Beth murmured against Daryl’s shoulder, sighing and giving his fingers threaded with hers a gentle squeeze. She bent her free arm at a somewhat odd angle so she could run her fingers through his dark hair, smiling softly to herself as the tracker’s breathing started to even out. She knew they both needed to be well rested for the journey tomorrow, but lying up against his frame like this was proving to be far too great a temptation.

Daryl shifted to get more comfortable and she did as well, making sure to stay as closely aligned with his larger frame as possible. She slid her hand slowly down his chest till her fingers hooked under the hem of his weathered shirt, fidgeting with the material as she leaned in and sought out his lips with hers. They lay together softly kissing and touching, but while she was trying to push further beneath his shirt Daryl kept his hand attached to the outside of her hip not venturing any further despite how obvious she was making it that she wished him to.

Her blood was pumping faster and her breathing getting more ragged, her impatience getting the better of her and she broke from him to meet his darkened gaze, “Daryl, don’t you want me still?” She asked, a note of uncertainty in her tone. She grinned at his response, subscribing to the actions speak louder than words philosophy by slipping her hand from beneath the edge of his shirt to stroke the growing bulge in his jeans. He groaned in response and she felt warmth pooling in the pit of her belly at his reaction to her touch and she was eager to show him beyond a doubt that this was what she wanted regardless of the less than pristine circumstances. Her fingers tugged his belt open but he halted her progress, taking her hand away from him and kissing her sweetly.

He told her she needed sleep and she giggled softly, leaning into him as closely as possible so her lips brushed his when she spoke again, “I know, so do you. But I think we both need somethin’ else first.” She replied, kissing him entreatingly and pouting a bit when she pulled back and his expression showed no change.

“Daryl please,” Beth urged, tugging her hand from his grip but compromising by returning it to his chest, sliding up and down his muscled front trying to win him over. “I don’t need a four-poster bed with rose petals scattered over it or nothin’. What’s important about your first time iswho you’re with, not where you’re at.” She argued with a smile, pecking his lips several times in a row trying to goad him into responding more. It was obvious that he wanted to give in but still he breathed her name in a warning tone, trying to get her to settle against him and Beth sighed more out of frustration than want this time.

“You know, I almost did it once before. With Zach. We would fool around and stuff, but… I just never felt quite ready to go all the way. Then one night he asked me about it… He made me feel like I had to do it, like in these times you’ve gotta get it while you can, you know? He teased me about not dyin’ a virgin.” Beth laughed though there wasn’t much mirth to it. She felt Daryl tense a bit at her mention of her old boyfriend making her feel obligated and she gently stroked his face to try and soothe him.

“Anyway, the point is… When it came down to it I just couldn’t do it. It didn’t feel right, and we were a lot safer then than we are now, I was in my own bed, about as ideal circumstances as you can get anymore nowadays. But this-” Beth continued, placing her hand over Daryl’s heart that was thudding faster she hoped more out of desire than apprehension. “This feels right to me. You feel right to me. I want this with you, now. Please Daryl.” She pleaded again, dipping her head to kiss along his scruffy jaw to his corded neck, tasting his skin and nipping at him lightly as her hand trailed back down to stroke his arousal again. “Please.” She breathed against his skin, flushing at the way just hearing his noises of want at her touch made her ache for him.

Daryls better judgement told him that he should really make her stop, hurt her feelings if he had to but the problem was, he wanted her too. Far too much to sincerely put an end to her touches and kisses. "Beth..." He whispered, groaning suddenly as she started working him again through his tightening jeans.

He tracked his hand to the side of her face, "Beth... I need to know you really mean that." He huffed, urging her gaze to meet his and watching her eyes for any sign of doubt she might have as she promised she wanted him more than anything. The tracker nodded his understanding, his own heart racing as he thought about how long it had been for him as well.

"C'mere." He urged, pulling her into his lap and settling her there for a moment or two while he kissed her sweetly. She was panting and half trembling as he worked open her top, "It's okay Gorgeous." He soothed quietly, wondering if she thought about the men who had tried to force her into things.

His pace slowed almost torturous as he helped her shrug her top off, placing opened mouth kisses along her collarbone to her shoulder as he pushed the strap of her bra down. Beth whimpered his name and pleaded he continue quicker and he chuckled. "No." He said simply, lifting his gaze to meet hers as his hands ran along her thighs to her hips and back down. "Beth if we're gonna do this... I'm gonna do it right..." He panted, pressing his lips to her ear.

"Make yah feel real good I promise Gorgeous." He whispered huskily, nibbling her ear and feeling her shudder and cant her hips down to his. Daryl worked her pants opened and helped her out of them leg by leg, then her bra and panties until she was bare and he was left in only his jeans with the fly open for room.

They were kissing hungrily, tasting one another and getting heated more each second until he slipped his hand between them, dipping his fingers into her body and pressing his brow to hers as he watched her eyes while he worked her slowly his thumb circling her clit, experimenting to find what she liked.

He turned and laid her out on the blankets, pulling one over them with his free hand for cover, simply so if anyone passed they wouldn't see exactly how bare they both were. Beth whimpered his name and writhed against his hand, "Shh. Shh." He hushed her sounds, slipping his hand over her mouth and slowing the pace of his hand just slightly.

 

Beth helped Daryl push her jeans down and shuffled her legs out of them, her whole body trembling with anticipation as he continued to undress her slowly. As much as she wanted this, she had honestly been expecting to feel a measure of fear in doing this, almost waiting for the unsavory memories of the way those men had touched and abused her. But they didn’t come. Daryl’s mouth hungry and heated against hers, his hands exploring her bare flesh, it was different in every way from how they had treated her. She could feel even before him telling her how much he wanted her, how important it was to him to make her feel good. His touches only left her aching for more, not shying away hoping they would end.

Beth ground down against his length, gasping between heated kisses feeling like she was burning up from the inside, no part of her touched by the chill she’d been plagued by for weeks now. The blonde jumped a bit when she felt Daryl’s hand press between them but her mouth fell open in a soundless moan the second his strong digits dipped into her. The hunter kept her trapped close against his frame, his brow warm against hers and his breath even warmer on her face as he struggled to reign in his own breathing.

The longer he worked her the more desperate for release Beth got, trembling on her knees with her forearms braced on his bare chest, her hips bucking on his hand desperate for as much contact as possible. Daryl started to shift beneath her and she let him guide her to lay on her side, his middle and ring fingers still buried inside her and stroking her walls as they moved. He used his free hand to tug a blanket over them and for the first time in ages Beth actually felt a little too hot to be comfortable, but she wasn’t exactly going to ask him to stop.

Beth braced her good leg up against the desk to give him access to her center and he started working her harder, her pleasure coiling tight in her belly and she started losing control of the sounds she was making as she neared her brink. Daryl scooted closer to her and hushed her, covering her mouth with his fingers and she reached up to grip his wrist, not to pull him off but merely to cling to him for dear life as her climax unraveled her and she squeaked against his hand, her whole body quaking as her orgasm swept over her from head to toe.

Daryl eased off his pace and slipped his hand from her center, releasing his hold on her mouth as well and asking in a ragged whisper if she had come. Beth took a shaky breath and smiled, drawing him in to kiss him deeply. “Yes, it felt amazing… But I need more, I want all of you. Please.” Beth urged, tugging at him trying to encourage him to roll atop her just in case he’d gotten it in his head to pleasure her and leave things at that, not getting any relief for himself. Daryl growled as she nipped at his lip, following her insistence and settling between her legs beneath the blankets, mindful of her damaged leg as he helped her settle more squarely on her back below him.

Beth craned her head up to seal her mouth to the trackers, sliding her hands down his bare muscled back feeling the ridges of old scars etched into his skin.The blonde knew he had a less than idyllic past, but she wanted to do everything she could to make sure his present was as good as possible. She felt him tense a bit as her nails skidded over them, but he didn’t stop, kissing her harder in fact and reaching down to start pushing at his loosened jeans and briefs. She dragged her hands over his sides and down to his hips to assist him, giggling a bit in her throat as he grunted impatiently while shucking them off completely.

Beth raised her good leg up to hook over his hip, running her hands back up his marred back letting him know that she had no reservations about doing this with him, about touching him despite how his past had marked him. Daryl prodded at her slick entrance with his weeping tip, panting out brokenly to tell him to stop if he hurt her. “Shh…” Beth soothed him, running her hand through his hair and smiling up at him fondly, “You won’t hurt me, not ever.” She assured him, meaning both physically and emotionally and the little smile he gave her that was almost disbelieving made her love him that much more.

“You won’t. It’s all right… Take me, I’m yours Daryl Dixon.” She murmured, kissing him softly and he returned the contact with more force, slowly pushing into her and Beth’s lower back bowed up off the bedding at the feeling of him filling her up, it was a little uncomfortable at first but she craved more, digging her nails into his toned ass and exclaiming softly when he asked her if she needed him to stop, “Don’t you dare stop now.” She panted, kissing him harder trying to spur him to keep moving inside her.

"I don't wanna hurt you Beth." He whispered, his breathing ragged at his tip drawing over her entrance lightly despite his words. She promised he wouldn't but he was well aware of how that might change as soon as he took her. She was inexperienced, not to say he had much himself but he still knew enough to know he could hurt her.

Daryl groaned at her insistence, "Tell me if it's too much okay?" He breathed, growling at her kisses and lying over her fully as he steadily inch by inch pushed into her body, stretching her fully as she engulfed him. He could hardly keep himself quiet, pausing at the sounds she made.

He slowed and lifted his head, "Should I stop?" He asked, barely getting the words out before she growled a warning for him not to do so. The tracker actually chuckled, bracing up on his knees more fully and the blanket spilled off his sweat dampened back while she tore her nails along his flesh.

He started a languid pace, delibrate strokes in her body, watching her react to each and carefully reaching for her leg to help it stay up and comfortable. Beth cried his name, years brimming her eyes and again he wondered if he was hurting her until she pleaded for more, urged him to take her like he meant it and to look at her while he did.

"God you're bossy." Daryl half growled, their lips crashing together as he attempted yet again to muffle her moans and cries as his pace increased and he slammed up into her. His whole bkdy tensed this time out of his building desire rather than fear of hurting her.

"Ahh... Beth..." He grunted through an exhale, watching her eyes and seeing her face crinkle up in her pleasure as she grasped at his biceps and bowed up towards him. He panted out against her, "You feel so good." He groaned, grabbing her hips and looping his arm under her frame to set her at the perfect angle, slamming into her rougher.

His lips parted in a soundless moan, slowing again to build her up towards that edge. Beth's nails raked over his flesh and the pair both panted and groaned together, sounds of pleasure on each breath as he felt her clenching around him. "You gonna come for me?" He whispered airily, growling. "Shit." He hissed as she arched into him and cried his name, coming around him suddenly. 

"Fuck..." Daryl put his hand over her mouth again to quiet her, hushing her as he let her ride out her high, pulling out suddenly and pumping his length to finish himself off, losing it against her belly. 

“Oh god… Daryl!” Beth cried out as her pleasure finally wound up tight enough to snap, sending her over the edge again only this time it was more intense in every way coming with him buried inside her and any thoughts she’d held of keeping quiet the second time around flew completely out the window. Daryl quickly covered her mouth again, helping to muffle her noises since her pleasure robbed her of the ability to do so herself. The blonde rolled her hips up into his motions, riding out her climax till she finally slumped back against the blankets and she felt the sudden loss of him in her body, humming absently as she glanced down and watched him working himself with his hand to finish, the warmth of him coming on her bare belly making her breath hitch in her throat.

The tracker sighed roughly as he came, resting his sweat dampened brow to hers and smiling crookedly at her as they both struggled to draw even breaths. Beth draped her arms about his neck and craned her head up to kiss him languidly, her stomach jumping a bit when he broke from her and grabbed a scrap of rag from his piecemeal bedding to clean her off with. He eased down onto his side, pulling the blanket up that had fallen off of them in the midst of their activity and Beth curled against his frame, moaning softly at how it felt even better still lying skin to skin with her hunter.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep quiet.” Beth whispered somewhat sheepishly, giggling when Daryl replied that he would prefer to hear her, it was everyone else that was the problem. “I’ll do better next time, now that I know what it feels like. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, but… Wow.” The blonde panted happily, smiling fondly up at Daryl when he chuckled at her comment, the sound somewhere between being pleased and being embarrassed. He cupped her face and asked her more seriously if she really wanted there to be a next time and she flushed, placing her smaller hand over his by her face and running her thumb over his roughened knuckles.

“I do. Very much so as a matter of fact.” The young woman answered, leaning in to kiss Daryl sweetly, “Do you want that too? I guess it’s probably not all that excitin’ since I don’t know much but… I promise I’m a fast learner.” Beth asked in turn, trying to hide the pang of genuine insecurity she felt about her performance with a teasing tone. Daryl shook his head, telling her to quit worrying so much, kissing her hard and deep emphasizing without words that he was more than pleased and receptive to more to say the least. When they broke apart both of them were breathing rougher again and Beth bit her lip, plastering as much of her naked body against his as she could. “Take me again…” She breathed, pouting when Daryl told her they ought to pace themselves for now with her still recovering not to mention the hard day ahead of them.

The blonde sighed and figured she’d pushed him enough for one night, relenting to him but making one final request, “Can we lie like this for awhile then? It feels so good with your skin touchin’ mine.” She asked and he gave her that, kissing her softly and tugging the blanket back up over both their bodies when Beth shifted and turned to lie on her other side slid it down. The blonde pressed her back into his front as closely as possible, sighing deeply with contentment as the weight of his muscular arm settled over her middle and she rested her forearm atop his, working her fingers between his and letting her eyes flutter shut.

It was pure bliss lying safely eclipsed by his frame, and after half an hour or so she nearly fell asleep despite knowing they would have to dress again before really checking out for the night. She just couldn’t help it, she felt sated and happy in a way she’d never experienced before, not even before the world as she knew it had ended and her life was mostly made up of good, happy things. She nearly slipped away into slumber, but was roused again feeling Daryl shifting against her somewhat awkwardly and a cheeky grin bloomed over her face as she felt why he was trying to get a bit of distance between their bodies. Hiis arousal prodded at her pert rear, thick and hot and just knowing that he wanted her was enough to make her cheeks flush and her heart beat faster with her own need.

“Don’t…” Beth murmured, her voice still a bit slurred with drowsiness but she was able to reach back and grip his hip before he could pull back to far, scooting back into him at the same time so his erection pressed against her backside once more. She ground back experimentally against him, shivering when he growled roughly against her neck, warning her not to rile him up like that or he wouldn’t be content to simply hold her while she slept. “Well that doesn’t do a thing to discourage me.” The blonde quipped, craning her head back as far as she could and pushing his hand down to her center, mewling as his fingertips barely brushed over her clit. “Please baby..” She breathed, scooting her hips up and trying to align his throbbing length with her entrance but it was difficult from her current angle. She tugged at his hair to draw him in for an entreating kiss, trying to convince him to give them both what they both so clearly wanted.

Daryl groaned as Beth tried to keep teasing him, rub back against his excited front. "Don't rile me up." He mumbled, "Gonna get me goin and you gotta sleep." He reminded her, moaning as she insisted he continue, her kisses and the way she tugged his hair as well as ground against his front made it harder for him to back off like he had planned to.

"Beth." He panted, chuckling a bit as she tried to take him but couldn't manage. His hands ran over her side, returning her kiss and pulling her tighter to him as she pleaded for round two. The tracker kissed along her neck and shoulder, brushing her hair aside as his body throbbed with want for her.

He tugged her hips back, curving her frame just right before he pushed into her again, taking her slow and steady just as before. He growled deeply, nipping her skin and drawing his hand down to her entrance, circling his fingers over her clit. "You feel so good Beth." He whispered against her ear, making her mewl.

Beth clawed at him, urging him to take her harder but he hushed her. He worked her clit faster to rile her up and bring her to the edge, determined to make her lose it once or twice before he even followed.

 

Beth gasped softly as Daryl finally merged their bodies once more, rocking back slowly into his motions and craning her head to give him better access to her neck, shivering as he nibbled lightly at her fair skin. His callused fingers traced small circles over her clit in tandem with his slow deep thrusts in her body and Beth writhed in his arms, every part of her aching for the sweet release she knew he could give her.

“Daryl… Harder, faster please- ahh…” Beth moaned under her breath, arching back against him and tugging at his hair trying to spur him into driving them both over the edge but the tracker had other plans it seemed. He hushed her, his lips grazing over her neck and shoulder as he maintained his slow and steady pace, deep even strokes that hit her in all the right places. The blonde tried her best to keep quiet this time, her eyes falling shut as she enjoyed the slow burn. He started teasing her clit faster, making her jolt and turn her face into the blankets trying to muffle the little desperate sounds she couldn’t quite hold back.

Beth could feel her climax building, her body tensing and trembling as she hovered on the edge, “Oh, oh god yes, yes baby don’t stop! Ah!” She mewled, unraveling under his hand. Her walls clenched and fluttered around him in spasms of pleasure, she managed not to cry out but she gasped roughly as she rode out her pleasure. Daryl bit down on her neck and she felt him throbbing inside her, and in the heat of the moment she wished he would just let go and come inside her even if she knew in the back of her mind that it was a risk they shouldn’t take.

Daryl didn’t let up however, picking up his pace pumping into her and it felt like she was going to fly apart, her pleasure threatening to overtake her again on the heels of her first orgasm. Her eyes flew open and she arched back against her lover, craning her head back to meet his lips knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep quiet and needing him to help her. The hunter sealed his lips to hers, swallowing her desperate moans. Her world narrowed to what he was doing to her, Daryl’s strong frame against her back, his hand flicking over her clit and his thick hard length thrusting into her hard and fast. 

They broke apart to gasp for air and Beth’s lips parted in a silent moan, shivering when she heard him grunting roughly having trouble keeping his own voice in check as well. He slammed into her roughly making fireworks go off under her skin and she put her own hand over her mouth to stifle her cry of pleasure as she came hard around him.

The tracker tensed up against her and he cursed sharply under his breath, withdrawing from her heat just in time to come against her thigh. His fingers kept working her clit trying to prolong her orgasm as long as possible. Beth shivered against his body, her muscles going slack in the wake of her climax and she stretched like satisfied cat, humming softly as his hand continued to lightly trace random patterns on her flat stomach. She felt him shift and swipe away his seed from her leg and backside with a cloth, rolling back to hold her tightly against him. His breathing was labored and hot against her neck and she sighed happily when he nuzzled the back of her head with his nose.

“I swear you’re too good at that Mr. Dixon. I’m never gonna wanna do anything else now.” Beth giggled, turning in his arms and feathering kisses over his face.

Daryl leaned into her, panting as he slowly came down from their shared pleasure. He cupped the side of her face and sighed heavily, "Addicted that fast huh?" He chuckled, pressing his lips to hers and holding her close.

He wasn't the lovey dovey type of guy but Beth... She had almost always made him wanna try to do more, to be more. She nodded when they broke apart but he kept her face close to his own. His eyes met hers, looking her over, "God you're beautiful. Ain't ever felt like I could say that to yah but... yah are." He whispered, kissing her one last time and urging her to nuzzle into his neck.

"Ain't gonna let yah go." He promised softly, tangling with her a little longer and feeling her tears on his shoulder. They lay together a long while before he pulled back as she started to drift off, "We gotta get clothes on Gorgeous or we're busted." He murmured, helping her find her things and dressing himself. 

They settled back once finished and he absently and tiredly kissed at her skin. "We'll find a better place. Stay away from their camps and all. Rick thinks he and Michonne found a good spot. Ain't been inside yet so we'll see if it's worth it." He said, looping his arm around her waist and cuddling up with her again. Her eyes were closed but she seemed to be listening. "Good night Beth."

\----

The next day they started their trek out of the woods and down a dirt road until they neared what might have been a town but up the road a ways Michonne had claimed to have seen an old plantation or something that was run down but for the most part fenced in and looked decent enough for the lot of them.

It seemed like they had been walking all day but they stopped often to recover. "You okay?" Daryl asked Beth when he sat with her up against a curb. She was panting and rubbing her foot but claimed she could make it.

He sighed and took her boot off, rolling down her sock and rubbing out her ankle and calve until she stopped wincing in pain. When no one was looking he kissed her knee as he pulled her boot back on for her. "Rick says it ain't much further. Here." He grunted as he stood, giving her his crossbow and helping her to her feet.

The hunter bent over offering his back and patting her hip. "C'mon. Rides free I promise." He teased though his face was serious. She shifted and got up on his back and he gave a little hop to adjust her weight as he took hold of her knees and started to catch up to the group. His thumbs and fingers brushing up and down her leg where he could reach, happy to have her here again.

The group piled into the ratty old pickup for as long as their gasoline lasted, traveling about half the day before being forced to continue on foot just outside a small town only Michonne had ventured out far enough to find, attempting to make their way to what they hoped would prove to be a safer haven than the train depot, according to the sword-wielding woman it might even have the potential to be a permanent home.

Beth tried her best not to let the pain she was in show, determined not to slow the group down. It was vital that they reached this place before sundown if they wanted to keep their chances of survival at least on the slim side of ‘slim to none.’ She felt like she was putting on a fairly decent show, but should’ve known that she couldn’t hide her true condition from Daryl. The tracker kept close to her the whole journey, carrying her pack for her despite her protesting that she could manage it herself.

When they stopped to rest for the final push to their destination, Beth was fairly certain that she wasn’t going to be able to make the last leg of the trip. Her ankle felt like it was on fire, pain lanced up her leg and into her back with every step and she knew that no matter how brave a face she put on it wasn’t going to hide the fact that she was starting to tremble and sweat from the strain of pushing through the pain.

She told Daryl she was fine when he asked but there was hardly any point in trying to argue. He tended to her wounded limb like he had many times now, relieving her pain and even stealing a kiss on her knee making her flush and smile. He offered to carry her though again she knew the hunter wouldn’t take no for an answer and so the blonde hopped up on his back with a little laugh. He jogged to catch up with the others down the road and she held on tight, praying in her heart that Michonne would turn out to be right about this new place they were heading to.

They followed the dirt road out through an expanse of fields that looked like they used to produce bountiful crops of cotton. In the center of the fields stood an enormous two-story plantation home, complete with ostentatious columns and civil war era separate slave quarters. As they walked Rick and Glenn started discussing plans for making the place more secure should it prove to be livable, mending the fences and lining them with sharpened stakes, digging out trenches around the perimeter. It would be a huge endeavor, but then again they had nothing but time and this place could be a real home for them, someplace worth putting in the effort to fortify and put down roots like the prison had been. 

The closer they got the more Beth hoped they could call this place home. It was old and run down but the bones of the building were still intact, it just needed some boarding up in the windows. They got to the edge of the yard and Daryl let her down, reading his crossbow and giving her a look of directness when he told her to stay put with Tyrese and Judith while the rest of them searched the house and out buildings for threats both undead and living.

“Be careful.” She murmured to her lover, watching him stalk away with his crossbow leveled over Judith’s head when the large man handed the toddler to her so he could keep his weapons at the ready just in case.

Daryl set his lover down, grasping his crossbow once again and circling around her. He took a step forward and nodded to her, his free hand brushing over her back in acknowledgement. "Stay here." He whispered again, looking to her and making sure she confirmed that she would before he continued up the path and through the weeds that now took over the lands.

He drew his bow up and readied himself for an attack, going to the main house first and side stepping to the door. He stood close with Rick in front pushing the door opened and slapping his hand on the frame. Daryl whistled for further noise to match, waiting a moment or two for sounds of walkers. He couldn't help but look back over his shoulder to make sure Beth was still standing there watching. 

He felt his body relax at least a little, jolting at the snarl he heard and racing in with Rick. They found the source of noise, a young girl caught behind a baby gate and what looked to be an older woman who had been shot at but not taken out properly. He cringed at the smell of the dead male lying beside her gun in hand with his face torn apart. "Guess Grandma had Grandpa for dinner..." The tracker mumbled.

He sighed and nudged Rick out of the way when he couldn't stop shaking as he raised his gun to put the infant walker out of her misery. "I got this one." He said, nodding for him to take out the older woman. He was careful as he put his bow back over his shoulder, grabbing a knife and easing down to the girls level. She snarled and growled at him but when she got close he drove the blade into her skull and caught her before she dropped, gently easing her body down.

His eyes went around the space, going through the other rooms. Only one or two looked lived in while the others seemed to be kept as museum pieces or something. It must have been family owned or had live in caretakers judging by the playroom and the used kitchen. He heard Rick around the corner dragging out the walker he put down. Daryl jogged to help pull her out the back, grunting as they moved her.

He nodded to his companion, confirming his silent question about telling the others. They looped back around and Daryl nodded for them to come inside as well. "Place is clear. Glenn you and Maggie check the first bunk house. We'll go down to the other." He said as he got to them.

Daryl went with Rick to the other one and they made sure it was clear, putting down a couple strays likely old maintenance people or tour guides even. He went back towards the house and when they got inside it was already mostly cleaned up of the walkers remains and the blood stains they left behind.

His heart pounded when he checked each room absently to find Beth. There was no sign of her, "Beth?" He finally muttered, finding Judith with Carol and Tyresse then Michonne cleaning her weapon of choice. "Where is she?" He said almost frantic.

Daryl raced by them again to check the back of the main house, spotting Glenn coming up from down the back road. "Beth?!" He called, jolting when she came round the corner of the house with a sheepish look, cheeks red. He darted down the steps and grabbed her wrists. "Don't you fuckin do that." He breathed, checking her over and drawing attention to them.

The others had gathered on the porch while he spoke to her wondering what was the matter. Clearly no one had heard him asking for her. Beth whispered for him to calm down. "Where were you? Turned my back and you was gone." He panted, urging her to answer despite her protests and when she turned bright red and told him that she had gone to find a spot to... use the bathroom he actually chuckled with relief. "Yah scared me so you could pee?"

Beth’s blue eyes widened when she saw Daryl ran towards her nearly winging Glenn in his haste to get to her. “Daryl I’m fine, relax all right?” She murmured under her breath in a strained tone, blushing deeply at his nearly frantic reaction to her being out of his sight especially since it drew almost the whole group’s attention and now she was going to have to explain her momentary absence to an audience.

“Glenn and I found the outhouse.” She answered, blushing hotly now and rolling her eyes when her comment didn’t immediately sink into the archer’s mind through his worry, “I had to go all right? For heaven’s sake!” She said more directly, laughing a bit out of exasperation. Despite her embarrassment it still warmed her heart to see how affected Daryl was by even the thought of losing her, though she wasn’t sure if he’d be too happy once he turned around and realized he’d just been overtly fussing over her in front of everyone.

“I’m sorry, wasn’t tryin’ to. I did ask Glenn to check it for me first and stand guard if that helps.” The blonde smiled fondly up at her lover, shaking her head at him and patting his hand that was still gently gripping her upper arm. Daryl seemed satisfied by that, letting her go and turning to walk back with her up into the house, if he felt any self-consciousness over their group observing their little interaction he didn’t show it. 

As Beth walked by Maggie the brunette caught her elbow and gave her a look, the pair of sisters had been close their whole lives and Beth knew immediately that her older sibling wanted an explanation from her about Daryl’s hyper-protective display, smiling crookedly at her and the blonde simply tugged out of the woman’s grip shaking her head at her and blushing again not exactly keen on discussing her budding relationship with the gruff tracker in front of everyone.

The group spread out among the house, exploring every nook and cranny and finding that the place boasted many priceless gems for these times, two fireplaces, a wood burning stove and access to plenty of timber in the woods bordering one side of the fields, an indoor utility pump in the kitchen connected to the well outside which Glenn checked out first thing, more than happy to report it being free of anything undead. There was an underground root and wine cellar, and while it had no useful foodstuffs inside it was still large enough to be a shelter for all them in case a herd of walkers passed through.

Beth wandered the huge old home with Carol and Carl, admiring the grandeur of the place even if it had suffered some neglect it had been stunning in it’s day, lavishly furnished and stocked with all kinds of historical pieces, most useful of which were an old foot-operated sewing machine and a washtub with a hand crank clothes wringer. There were several placards set up along the walls and on pedestals in many of the rooms, giving information about the life and times of this place back before the civil war. It had to have been a museum of some kind, there were several baskets placed around different rooms with pamphlets about the plantation and even a small display of fridge magnets shaped like the house itself.

Carol had mentioned that she had a surprise for the blonde and led her to it after they looked around. Beth gasped with delight when they entered what had once been a small back parlor of sorts, in one corner stood an old grand piano that had been at least partially protected from dust by a moth-eaten canvas cover. The blonde sat gingerly on the bench and opened the cover, tears pricking her eyes as she lightly ran her fingertips over the cool ivory keys. Not only had they found a place with the potential to be their home, it had a piano.

“Thought you could give us concerts in here, maybe teach Judith to play, one day.” Carl commented happily and Beth beamed as she looked back over her shoulder at them, her gaze flicking past them when she saw that Daryl had come to stand in the doorway and was smiling in that soft way that only she got to see. The blonde flushed and played a couple experimental chords, giggling happily at the harmonious sound it produced.

“I think… If it’s alright with everyone and there’s enough space, I’d like this to be my room.” Beth murmured softly, playing the first few bars of an old southern lullaby then glancing back over at Carl, “Open for concerts of course.” She added with a grin.

Daryl leaned in the doorway of what now just might be Beth’s room, giving her that soft little grin only she was ever allowed to really see. He folded his arms over his chest, watching Beth getting over joyed while she explored the decent sized space. He glanced at Carl when the blonde addressed him and mentioned free concerts. “Like having dinner and a show.” The kid commented with a grin of his own, looking over Beth while she played notes on the dusty keyboard.

Carol put her hand over Beth’s shoulder and smiled down at her, “I’m sure you’ll have it cleaned up in no time. We look forward to hearing you play again. I think it might help Judith sleep.” She shrugged, walking past and glancing to Daryl, gently tugging Carl out with her. “We’ll leave you to get settled on your own.”

Daryl lingered and wandered into the room when Beth started to sit down at the piano bench, her fingers tracing along the keys, wiping away what dust she could. He sighed and sat down on the floor, leaning up against the wall and staying quiet while she tested each of the keys. That alone could urge him to fall asleep… before he used to hate listening to her play but honestly it was a comfort to hear her, especially now. It was a reminder that she was still around, that he had her back and she was doing more than okay.

Beth finished up and addressed him on the ground, asking if he was going to hover over her all the time like this. His eyes opened again, furrowing his brow and trying to decide if she was upset with him or even genuinely curious. She smiled at him and soon he shrugged, “All yah gotta do is ask me tah leave.” He muttered, staring her down and waiting for her answer or tell him to give her some space.

“All I can think about is you disappearin’ again.” He mumbled, picking at the ground and only half meeting her eyes. “Keep thinkin’ about what they coulda done to yah… Ain’t gonna be sorry for not wantin’ yah to go all that far again.” He shrugged, unashamed of what had happened today when he drew attention to both of them.

Beth’s expression softened at the hunter’s quiet words and she swiveled around to face him completely from her perch on the piano bench. It struck her that while Daryl would never win any prizes for expressing his feelings eloquently, this was his way of telling her how deeply he cared for her. Her heart did a little flip and she smiled, getting up and wandering over to where he sat against the wall and settling beside him, close but not quite touching.

“Well I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer keepin’ close to you Daryl.” Beth murmured with a little smile, craning her head down to catch his gaze pleased when he smiled back softly, “But I have to be sure you’re stickin’ to me for the right reasons… If you’re so worried about protecting me because you blame yourself somehow for me being taken then you don’t need to feel obligated to me that way. I only want you to stay close to me if… If it’s because I mean something to you-” Beth was cut off suddenly by the tracker leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers, his hand sweeping into her blonde hair to keep her in his space.

He kissed her hard and deep till her heart was pounding and her toes were curling in her boots, conveying what he couldn’t with words through their contact. After a moment they broke apart for want of air, both of them breathing hard and the look Daryl was giving her made Beth’s heart race. She gingerly ran her tongue along her lower lip that she was fairly sure was going to swell up a bit from the force of his kiss but she hardly cared, filling up with happiness getting the confirmation she needed from him that he wasn’t simply humoring her out of guilt or pity.

“Well, alright then.” Beth giggled airily, reaching up to hook her slender fingers over his wrist close to his hand that still cupped her head. “So… Does that mean you’ll bunk in here with me then? Because I’d really like it if you did.” She asked just above a whisper, turning her head into his hand to kiss his palm. The tracker nodded in agreement, but a shadow of doubt crossed his eyes and he asked her if she was all right with the rest of the group knowing she was with him since him sharing a room with her was a pretty clear statement of how things stood between them.

“And why wouldn’t I want them to know? Daryl you’re a good man. I feel lucky to have a place in your heart. If you’re ready for everyone to know about us, so am I. And if anyone has a problem with us, well they’re welcome to bring their complaints to the department of ‘I don’t give a damn.’ I don’t think we gotta make a big fuss about it, but they’ll figure it out soon enough like you said if they see us comin’ out of the same room every morning.” The blonde responded emphatically. She knew the members of their group that truly loved both of them would be happy for them, and if anyone else disapproved she couldn’t care less.

“Going to bed with you every night… Waking up with you each morning, it’s what I want Daryl. I would never ask you to leave.” Beth added more quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor since she wasn’t quite brave enough to face him if that wasn’t what he wanted as well.

Daryl broke their kiss finally, hoping he conveyed everything that he hadn’t been capable of saying aloud in that single kiss. Beth giggled and he grinned at her, meeting her eyes as she asked about him bunking here with her but his heart raced a bit at the idea of everyone knowing just what was going on between them. He wasn’t ashamed of course, Beth was gorgeous and of age even if there was a gap between them. He just wondered how they would take the information exactly.

He nodded anyways, mostly because he wanted so badly to be close to her. That time away from her, those days and nights he cried to himself about the realization that she was gone at the time, made him really understand just what it was he truly felt about her. He loved her, more than anything. It wasn’t just guilt he felt he had truly missed her and needed the comfort of his lover and closest companion once more.

“Yah don’t mind the rest of the group knowin’ about us? That you’re with me? ‘Cuz it’s gonna be pretty hard to hide once I start comin’ out of your room every mornin’ and joinin’ yah every night.” The hunter mumbled, dropping his hand from her cheek and looping his arm around her waist instead to keep her close beside him. He chuckled a bit at her answer, nodding at what she had to say and having to agree that he really didn’t much care about the others and what they thought or said. So long as she didn’t mind either then he supposed it wouldn’t make a difference.

He ducked his head and lifted his opposite hand to touch her chin, urging her to look up at him again and he noted the misty eyed look she held. “Beth I want yah to be my girl.” Daryl stated simply, pulling her lower half closer to him and making her slide along the floor until she was pressed up tight against his side, his strong arm looped around her frame. “I don’t wanna leave especially if you don’t want me to. Wanna go to bed with you every night and wake up to you too.” He repeated her words, kissing her temple then forehead.

He was never very good at things like this but for whatever reason he wanted Beth to know and understand just how badly he wanted her, how much he cared about her and needed her there, not for the sense of having to protect her but selfishly he couldn’t have her out of his arms anymore. “We’ll bed down together, shack up and if anybody notices or asks they can figure it out, y’know? We ain’t gotta spread it around. Don’t wanna seem like I’m braggin’ anyhow.” He teased, kissing her again and deepening it slowly as he tasted her lips, his tongue tracing hers as she mewled and moaned at him.

Daryl broke them apart again though he really didn’t want to, licking his lips and keeping her close. “I’ll follow your lead or whatever. Promise I’ll bunk here.” He said with a grin, “Don’t worry.”

 

Beth smiled brightly at his words, the tears pricking her eyes born of happiness and relief now rather than apprehension. “Good, I’ll hold you to that Mr. Dixon.” She replied with a little giggle. The tracker brushed his knuckles over her cheek and pecked her lips again far too succinctly for her liking, but she knew in the back of her mind that now wasn’t really the time for fooling around with her lover when there was a lot of work to do in and around their new home.

Daryl hauled himself up off the floor and offered her his hands to hoist her up as well, preceding her out of what was going to be their room for however long they were fortunate enough to call this place home. Daryl left with Rick and Carol to scout around the whole perimeter of the fields around the plantation, planning to map the area and make note of places where the fences needed mending and get a rough idea of how large to make the trenches around the house.

Beth teamed up with Carl and Michonne to make an inventory of everything they found food-wise in the house, there wasn’t much to speak of but there was enough for all of them for a few days at least. They were starting from scratch here just like at the prison, and it made Beth misty-eyed thinking of her father and all the things he’d taught them about planting and tending crops, medicine and above all remembering to live, not just to survive. Even though he was gone, he was still watching over them, still helping them through the teachings he’d left behind.

Glenn and Maggie disappeared for awhile in the afternoon, Beth caught them walking hand in hand to one of the little old bunkhouses in the yard and grinned. She couldn’t blame them for taking the chance for some time alone, wanting the same thing for herself and Daryl when the tracker returned. She kept busy all day while he was gone but still she felt a bit uneasy the whole time he was apart from her.

It was dark when Rick and the others returned, sharing what they’d come up with so far with everyone over their odds and ends meal of various canned goods left in the kitchen. Beth was amazed by the size of the place looking at it on the map Rick had begun drafting, their group had only been able to cover about half the area on foot in a full day. While she felt a lot more exposed without the fences and thick walls of their old home, the large open space surrounding the house here gave them plenty of time to see threats coming and prepare for them at least.

Beth felt Daryl’s shoulder nudge her as he shifted to peer at the map she held as well and she smiled, really as long as she was with her lover she felt as safe as she could in the world they lived in now. She glanced at him and realized he was staring right at her, almost through her with his piercing gaze and the blonde felt a little tingle go up her spine. She was pulled from the less than pure thoughts popping up in her mind concerning her archer by Carl speaking her name, asking her if she would sing something claiming it didn’t really feel like home yet until she sang for them.

The blonde flushed partly out of feeling flattered but also partly because she felt caught thinking of something a lot more carnal than christening their group’s new home with a musical number. Beth agreed to his request when no one else seemed to object to his suggestion, reaching for her bottle of water and taking a few sips. She cleared her throat gently and sang the first thing that came to mind, a quaint little hymn her mother used to sing especially around holidays that was about being thankful. It seemed fitting considering their current circumstances, and while none of them were naive enough to think it couldn’t be snatched away at any moment, all of them were grateful for whatever time they got in this place, together.

After her song there weren’t many dry eyes left around the circle of their little mish-mosh family, including her own. The blonde sighed and glanced at Rick in particular across the circle, “I know daddy would be very happy for all of us right now, that we found one another again.” She said quietly. The group talked awhile longer, but after another half hour or so Beth turned her head to Daryl, “Would you mind helping me to bed? My leg’s hurtin’.” She requested, giving the tracker her arm to let him help her stand and he walked her down the hall with his arm around her. If anyone thought anything of it Beth didn’t care, just like she didn’t care if anyone noted the fact that once Daryl left with her he didn’t come back.

Daryl hoisted Beth up with him, easing her arm around his shoulders and looping his own behind her back to help her walk back towards her room. Their little family was starting to settle down, the noises quieting outside her door as he gently pulled it closed. No one seemed to notice or mind the fact that the pair of them had disappeared together but perhaps that was due to the fact that most everyone else was getting ready to bed down as well themselves.

Beth waited for him, lacing their fingers and smiling as she gently tugged him with her to bed. He grinned back, a little more tired than he would have thought but then again they had traveled a lot more just today than they had been doing so recently. He helped her down and pulled off her shoes and socks, continuing onto his usual nightly routine now and rubbing out her sore feet, hoping to do whatever he could to ease her pain. She sighed and sat up, her legs swinging further over his hips and soon she was half sitting in his lap.

She looked at him for a long moment or two, “What?” He asked, wrapping his fingers around her hip and keeping her close against him as their lips brushed together. “Does your foot really hurt or is that gonna be your excuse to get me to hide out with you?” He teased, smirking as she answered with a slow deep kiss. He groaned and hoisted her over him, urging her to straddle his waist and she did so happily. The tiny blonde claimed that she wasn’t faking it and he believed that but what he didn’t believe was that it wouldn’t become an excuse for him to rub her feet and pamper her like he had been doing so lately. “Bullshit.” He joked lightly, biting and tugging at her lip.

Beth giggled and tangled her fingers through his hair, giving a tug and making him slowly fall back until he was lying out fully beneath her, his hands running up and down her sides as she canted her hips down against his, working him up with her movements. He tugged her top up and off her, breaking their kiss for only a moment or two so he could brush his fingers over her smooth skin. Daryl smirked and eyed her lovely frame, it had only been a couple days since they found her and he could already tell she was gaining that weight back. “You’re getting’ curvier.” He murmured, his tone low and husky and for a moment Beth paused to question if he would rather she didn’t.

The tracker laughed and shook his head, working off her bra and pulling it down her arms, leaving her bare and while she was still small… he loved every inch. “Hell no.” He growled, mouthing at her chest and making her mewl and arch into him, her own want increasing along with his. “Like it…” He said, voice muffled against her skin while he teased her peaks to rigged points with his tongue and teeth, enjoying the taste and view of her flesh, the feeling of her soft skin against his rough face and calloused fingertips.

The blonde tugged at his hair pulling his head back so their lips could meet and he kissed her just as hungrily, working opened her jeans and lying her back to get her fully undressed. “You weren’t kiddin’ were yah? ‘Bout wantin’ me.” He commented, growling as he kissed down her belly and worked off her panties as well, nipping at her hip and breathing in her heady scent, his body responding to that alone.

 

Beth trembled beneath her lover, drawing her lower lip between her teeth as Daryl tugged her panties off and grazed his teeth over her still fairly pronounced hipbone. “I want you more badly than I’ve ever wanted anything Daryl Dixon.” She breathed with utter seriousness, her tone catching the man off guard somewhat and he simply stared at her a long moment with that intense gaze of his, his thumbs lightly brushing back and forth over the outside of her hips where he gripped either side of her.

Finally the corner of his mouth tugged up and he dipped his head down to nuzzle and kiss at her belly, making her abdomen jump as his scruff tickled her skin. Beth’s breathing was already erratic with her need for him, and she reached down to thread her fingers into his long dark hair prodding him gently downwards. “Please Daryl, I wanna feel your mouth on me…” She mewled, blushing a bit at her own request but craving it enough to overcome her shyness in this new arena she was exploring. She’d never let her other boyfriends touch her in such a way, but she felt no reservations whatsoever about Daryl claiming her in every way imaginable.

Daryl groaned deep in his chest at her breathless entreaty, edging further down the bed and turning his head into her thigh, kissing the soft skin there and working his way slowly towards her center. Beth gasped when he languidly licked the length of her entrance, delving his warm wet tongue into her core and the blonde unconsciously arched her hips up into his face desperate for more. He greedily ate her out, his grip on her hips tightening to control her movements as they grew more erratic.

“Oh god that feels good, so good baby…” Beth moaned, inhaling sharply when he drew his tongue up to swirl rapidly around her clit, sucking at her swollen bud and the blonde’s slender frame went taut as he brought to the edge of unraveling but slowed his pace and pressure just enough to keep her suspended on the cusp of coming undone. She tried to buck up into him, desperate for just a little more sensation to fall over the edge but her lover wouldn’t allow it, wringing desperate moans and whimpers from her throat as he worked her with that same patient focus that had allowed him to excel in skills like tracking and hunting.

“Daryl please-” Beth pleaded brokenly, one hand gripping his hair and the other twisted into the sheets, her whole body trembling as his tongue flickered over her tingling bud. Her head pressed back into the pillows when he finally released one hand on her hip to press two digits into her soaked center, hooking them up finding the sweet spot inside her and that shattered her completely. “Oh my god! Ahh Daryl!” Beth cried raggedly, her voice going up an octave in pitch as she came hard around his fingers and deft tongue.

He didn’t cease his motions or even slow down, carrying her through another orgasm and another till she was reduced to a shuddering mess stretched out before him, her good leg wrapped unconsciously around his neck and back though she didn’t ever recall moving it in the throes of her pleasure. She barely maintained the presence of mind not to scream, but she wouldn’t be too surprised if her voice had carried fairly far anyway not that she had a spare coherent thought to worry about it in the moment.

Daryl growled as his fingers slowed when he felt she couldn’t handle much more than that, feeling her writhing under him and pleading his name. He withdrew and lapped up her sweet nectar before sucking off his fingers like she was the best meal he had ever eaten. His jeans were tight but he did his best to ignore that at the moment, focusing entirely on her and whatever it was she wanted. His lips curved up into a smirk when she could barely hold onto him let alone keep her leg in place on his shoulder when he shifted, her limb falling to the bed and her body sprawled and opened for him.

“Glad this place is bigger… more space ‘cuz you’re gettin’ loud.” He teased her, kissing her thigh up to her belly again and gently tracing her curves with the backs of his fingers. Beth slowly settled, her breathing still ragged and her chest still heaving from the pleasure he had caused in her. He wondered if that was new to her and it must have been with the look in her eyes and the way she was shaking completely as he laid his head on her chest, moving his jaw to tickle her with his scruffy chin and smiling when she mewled at him.

“What’s the matter?” The hunter prompted, giving her more than a few moments to answer and she did with a little smack to his shoulder, telling him he was too good at all of this for her. “Yah want me tah stop?” He questioned, earning a tug to his hair and feeling her pull him to her as she insisted that if he did she would be beyond displeased with him.

Their lips crashed together in a deep and hungrily kiss, letting her taste herself on his lips and moaning roughly into her mouth. Beth grasped at his shirt, frantic to get the buttons opened and he aided her hurriedly, shrugging the garment off and much to his surprise, enjoying the way he fingers trailed along his scarred flesh of his back. He drew his lips down to her ear, nibbling on the shell of it and kissing down along her neck before speaking. “Roll over for me.” He whispered, shifting off of her and seeing the slight apprehension in her pretty blue eyes.

Daryl worked open his pants and undressed himself while he waited for her to decide, kissing her and wrapping an arm around her when she still hadn’t done so, instead she was distractedly eyeing his hard front. “Please.” He huffed, using his strength to turn her over onto her belly for him, guiding her hips up and then running his hands along her back and rear, admiring her from this new angle. He settled over her, kissing her shoulders affectionately and slow, tasting her flesh as he ground against her from behind. His lips parted in a gasp, pushing into her from this angle and burying himself to the hilt within her body.

 

Beth was mostly just complimenting her lover when she teasingly chided him for being too good at all of this, but there was a real note of concern beneath it as she considered the fact that even if the man hadn’t had a ton of partners before they met their levels of experience were vastly different. He certainly seemed to enjoy her from what she could tell and now she knew he cared for her enough that their trysts weren’t only about physical satisfaction but she couldn’t help but wonder what she could do to make him lose his mind like he’d just done for her.

He seemed to interpret her getting caught up in her thoughts as hesitation to follow his prompting which was not the case, she had more than enjoyed him taking her from behind on their first night together and she was sure this time would be even better in better conditions like these. But when she sat up on her elbows to get ready to flip over, she paused for another reason entirely. 

Beth hadn’t really gotten a good look at him their first time in the pitch black night, not to mention things had been a bit more… Rushed. But now in the candlelight the blonde could really get a good view of her lover bare, and her cheeks flushed at the sight of his impressive length hard and weeping for her.

Daryl recaptured her attention with a gentle touch and rough word of prompting, and the young woman resisted the urge to giggle a bit at her own expense for being so easily distracted by her man’s body. She followed his urging and shifted positions, settling on her knees and forearms letting him guide her completely raising her hips when he tugged her to align with him. His erection was hot and thick against her still sensitive center and she couldn’t hold back the soft mewls he wrung from her throat as he craned over her body, tasting and touching in a slow almost worshipful way. His length slid along her entrance stimulating her clit and in seconds he was soaked in her nectar, grinding easily against her.

Beth’s hands gripped the sheets hard when he finally sheathed himself within her, whimpering his name as he filled and stretched her completely. The hunter braced his hands on the mattress on either side of her narrow shoulders, caging her in beneath his frame as he began pumping in and out of her body, withdrawing nearly all the way from her heat only to plunge back into her slow and deliberately. With every thrust Beth moaned wantonly, pressing back into his motions and clenching around him trying to take him as deeply as possible.

Daryl nipped and licked at her neck, muttering against her flesh how hot and tight she was, his husky tone making the young woman shiver. “I’m all yours baby, ahh… Take me hard, I won’t break.” Beth hummed, bucking back into him hoping to spur him to that same high that he’d given her. The tracker kissed her ear, asking her gruffly if she was sure and she nodded, turning her head back to kiss him deeply but biting on his lower lip a bit too hard on purpose, grinning at him when he growled and flinched, feeling him throb inside her and watching him rake his gaze over her slender frame as he straightened back up, trailing his hands down her back to grip her hips.

The tracker squared his stance and started thrusting into her more quickly, taking her with more force. He was hitting her in all the right places but she could still sense him holding back despite the rough grunts falling from his parted lips as he focused on where their bodies met, watching himself drive into her over and over. Beth raised herself up and gripped the solid wrought-iron antique headboard, panting brokenly as her pleasure built. 

The blonde bucked back into his thrusts as much as she could, craning back to glance at him, “Fuck me harder baby, I need it please-” Beth pleaded, her sentence cut off with a yelp when her words had the desired effect and he slammed into her, his grip on her tightening to the point of leaving marks but that was exactly what she wanted.

“Yes! Yes baby oh fuck! Just like that, ahh!” She cried as he finally stopped holding back. At first she’d only meant to be harsher to encourage her lover, but now she was simply beyond controlling what was coming out of her mouth. The wild way he was driving into her chased all rational thought from her mind and she cursed and moaned brokenly on every exhalation, loving the uncontrolled outbursts he was growling now as he neared his limit. “Don’t stop Daryl oh god, I’m gonna come-” Beth mewled desperately, clinging to the headboard for dear life as he forced her forward and into a more upright stance against it, driving up into her faster than she could keep up with his movements.

Daryl was weary at first but the idea of taking his lover fast and hard, of making her scream for him and unravel completely was more than a little appealing but he wondered if she might regret it later. He worried if he got too rough, it might scare her off in some way or another. He knew those guys hadn’t done anything to her supposedly but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt her or get harsh in ways that should he pick up the pace and hold her tighter, it might remind her of the incidents and the days she was locked away without any of them.

He finally caved to her pleading when she bit at his lower lip, making him growl and his fingers curled around her hips, slamming into her body until they slapped together and the bed creaked beneath their weight just slightly. He panted and moaned at the sounds she was making for him, the way she cursed and her voice drew up an octave again until she was clenching around him and begging him for her release. He pushed her into the headboard more flatly, driving up into her again and again until he throbbed and felt her losing it around him.

Her pleasure soaked his length and dripped down his thighs, growling at the feeling and the knowledge that he could make her lose it so easily like that. The tracker nipped at the side of her neck, holding her gaze again over her shoulder as he drove into her until he felt himself nearing the edge, pulling out at the very end of her orgasm and coming against her rear.

Beth’s lips parted in a soundless cry, her eyes glassy as she looked up at him, slumping back and making a bit of a mess of herself as her legs wobbled and she couldn’t keep upright. Daryl panted into her ear and against her slim throat, gently helping her to sit on her knees and lean into his frame for support while he grabbed the rag from his pocket and cleaned up her back and thighs. “You okay?” He breathed, watching her carefully for signs that she wasn’t okay with how things ended even if she had come like she did.

The blonde nodded, shakily reaching her hand behind her for him to take and silently requesting he help her turn and lie out. “C’mon.” He grunted, hoisting her up a bit only to lie her out once more only this time on her back, rotating with her and curving his arm around her shoulders for her to lie against his bicep. She whispered her reassurance that she had more than a slightly good time, she had never enjoyed herself so much before and he smiled, kissing her brow.

Daryl tangled their limbs together and kissed along her chest and collarbone, hushing her to sleep though a little distracted still himself. “Guess tomorrow we can see more of the plantation. Ain’t had much time together outside your room.” He smirked, not complaining at all but rather amused with the turn of events. “At least here there’s more for you tah help with. If we can get crops goin’ again, you can tend the garden without much strain. Be good for you I think… have somethin’ tah do.”

Beth hummed sleepily at her lover’s words, nodding against his chest and draping her slender arm across his broad chest when he rolled onto his back and towed her along flush against his side. “Yeah, it’ll be nice to have good, honest tasks to do again. I don’t mind the tedious things like sewing and laundry if it’s for people I love. I’ll garden, cook, whatever needs to be done. We’ve all got jobs to do.” The young woman spoke her father’s old adage with a fond smile, letting her heavy-lidded eyes fall shut as she relaxed against her lover’s frame.

The pair drifted off in each other’s arms, tangled in the sheets and each other the whole night. Beth only woke once on the cusp of falling into a nightmare but as soon as she felt Daryl’s strong frame curled around her and heard his deep even breathing, her racing heart eased and the muscles in her back and neck that had started to tense up in fear relaxed. The blonde carefully extracted herself from her lover, tugging a wool blanket loosely around her bare frame and padding silently over to the piano. She stared down at the prized object, smiling softly to herself as she reached out to brush the smooth closed keyboard cover.

She glanced up at the sound of Daryl stirring in the bed, grinning crookedly when he softly called her name asking why she was up. Apparently she hadn’t gotten away with not waking him like she’d thought. “Just had a bit of a fright is all. But I’m all right.” She cooed, walking back over to the bed and climbing in beside her tracker. Beth placed a light kiss on his cheek before wriggling down deeper under the covers, soaking up his warmth having started to cool down just from being apart from him a moment or two.

The next morning Beth woke a little after sunrise, sensing Daryl’s eyes on her even before she came fully awake and she smiled at him after she rubbed the sleep from her own blue orbs. “Hey there handsome.” She greeted him drowsily, “How long have you been awake?” She asked, making a little noise of disapproval when he guessed an hour or so. “You could’a woken me up.” She chided gently, turning into his frame more closely and nuzzling into his corded neck. She began kissing softly at his warm skin at first, getting more enthusiastic taking his light groan as a good sign to continue.

Daryl’s hand trailed absently up and down her bare back as she kissed him, sending little shivers up and down her frame. She rolled up atop him, the movement causing the covers to slip down and pool at their aligned hips as she sat up and straddled him, The hunter made an approving noise in his throat and his callused hands swept up her sides to cup her small pert breasts, making her pant and lean heavily into the contact, mewling as she felt he was already mostly hard for her but she supposed it shouldn’t surprise her with it being first thing in the morning.

The blonde started slowly grinding her bare sex against his, biting her lower lip as she enjoyed his hands teasing her rosy peaks to rigid points and seeing his hunger for her dark his gaze. “Mmm Daryl do you have any idea how amazing your hands feel? And your mouth… And the rest of you.” Beth hummed, flushing as she stared down at him and giggling at his response.

The more he touched her the more riled she became and in a moment or two she was soaking his length, making both of them gasp and groan in turn till Daryl tugged at her hips to prompt her to raise up off him enough so he could reach between them and guide his tip to prod at her slick folds. She slowly sank down onto him, crying out a bit louder as he filled her up. She was still a bit sore from their rougher session last night but it ached in the best way, and the delicious friction he was causing inside her quickly eclipsed her discomfort.

Beth started to ride her lover in earnest following his prompting with his hands gripping her hips, her lips parting in a breathy high pitched moan. The blonde craned her body back so he hit her in just the right spot, driving her pleasure higher and she could feel her climax threatening to unravel her when a light rapping at her door followed by it immediately opening a crack made both Beth and Daryl nearly jump out of their skin. 

Beth swiveled atop Daryl’s lap and scrambled to try and tug the covers up, squeaking indignantly when the door opened further to reveal Carl, a dumbfounded expression slapped across his face. It was difficult for her to find enough of her voice to speak clearly with how close she was, but the blonde finally managed to at least spit out the young man’s name, “Carl! Don’t you know to wait for an answer before you open somebody’s door? Go on! Scat!” She shouted in a thin voice, waving her arm at the kid who was apparently frozen with shock, bouncing a bit on Daryl’s length which was not helping matters any for both of them. 

Daryl barked out in a bit harsher tone for Carl to leave, telling him he’d be out in a second to see what he wanted. Carl’s mouth opened more widely, his jaw working as if to speak but no words came out, and he barely managed to mumble a sorry as he finally backed out of the room slamming the door in his haste to retreat.

Daryl growled lowly, running his hands up her thighs to her slim hips and eyeing her with a hungry look to his gaze. He smirked at her comments about how good every part of him felt, “You like it? I’d have had no idea… couldn’t tell.” He teased through another deep groan as he fondled her breasts, rocking his hips up to hers and getting soaked in her slickness.

He gently gripped her waist, lifting her hips enough to guide himself to her body, urging her to settle over him fully and take him in. They both groaned and gasped with excitement as she sunk down onto his shaft, and soon enough she started riding him just like he wanted. He followed her motions, thrusting up into her heat and watching her body move and bounce above him. His hands tracked down, about to aid her with his thumb on her clit when a knock at the door made him jolt.

He looked around her frame to the entry way into her space, grasping Beth and about to hide her frame but he hardly had enough time before Carl appeared. The kids eyes went wide at the sight of them, making Daryl growl in annoyance this time for him not waiting until they answered. He grasped Beth’s hip and kept her from climbing off of him, knowing full well she was close and much to his surprise she was still swiveling her hips down against his, wanting that release.

When Carl didn’t disappear instantly from the door, he stepped in, sitting up a bit and waving his arm to shoo him away. “Get the hell out! I’ll be done in a sec!” He grunted, staring at the kid and waiting for the door to close before he started moving inside his lover again, craning his head up to kiss along her chest, “Guess the secret’s out.” He moaned, urging her to ride him faster once more, his body throbbing within her.

Beth giggled and pushed him back to lie out for her again, her hands braced on his chest and the pair of them pretended that nothing happened at least for the moment, focusing again on each other. “Ah… Fuck…” He moaned, slamming up into her and feeling her flutter around him, her back bowing and her voice catching as she cried his name and clawed at his front, coming hard around him. He held out as long as he could, lifting her off him just in time to come against his abdomen, settling her back to straddle his waist and closing his eyes as he settled into the pillows once more. His fingers absently trailing over her side, “Too bad we can’t hide out all damn day and screw around.” He panted, kissing her when her lips brushed his.

 

Beth giggled airily at her lover’s words, craning down to kiss his lips lightly. Her body was practically glowing from how good he’d made her feel and she was grateful that he’d kept going after their interruption, not sure if she would have been able to request that they finish things up herself considering the awkwardness of what had occurred. 

“That would definitely be fun.” Beth hummed, leaning back up slowly and stretching out her back and arms, feeling Daryl’s eyes on her as she did so. The blonde climbed reluctantly off his lap and winced a bit as she got up to dress. “But we should probably go and make sure Carl’s all right, talk to everyone so they hear the news from us and not from the poor guy who got an eyeful.” She reasoned with a crooked grin, tugging her jeans up glad to note that they were already not quite so loose on her any more. With any luck being here and getting some steady meals in she’d be back up to speed in no time.

Daryl agreed with her, mentioning that the kid likely wouldn’t just walk into someone’s room again and she laughed shaking her head, “I suppose not, still I’m sure he only came in right away like that ‘cause that was about the last thing he ever expected to see in here.” Beth laughed lightly, turning to face the tracker when he got up and slid her arms around his waist. “It was about the last thing I expected to happen, but I’m very glad it did.” She added, leaning up into his frame and tugging his head down to meet her lips in a tender kiss.

The pair finished getting ready for the day and headed out, wondering who if any of their group had heard anything from Carl yet. Beth felt the need to apologize to the teen though she was pretty sure Daryl had no such inclination. Daryl headed outside to find Rick and see if they were going to head out to finish mapping the plantation fields soon, while the blonde searched for her younger friend.

Finally Beth spotted Carl talking to Glenn in the kitchen, and from the look on her brother in law’s face he at least knew some of what the younger man had seen that morning. She smiled somewhat sheepishly, she felt no sense of shame or apology for being with Daryl, but she still would’ve preferred Carl or any of them not have to deal with getting first row tickets to what was meant to be a private show.

“Um, hey.” Beth greeted both of them, grabbing a half eaten can of peaches that Glenn mentioned Maggie had left for her in addition to her own ration for breakfast. The blonde shook her head and sighed, picking it up to eat it knowing there’d be hell to pay from her sister if she didn’t. “Maggie shouldn’t keep giving me her food like this, I’ll gain my strength back just fine without her losing hers.” She chided even though her sibling wasn’t currently there to hear it. She ate a few bites of the canned fruit, not really sure how to diffuse the awkwardness between all of them gracefully so she decided to just be blunt about it like Daryl might.

“So. I’m guessin’ Carl talked to you about what he… Stumbled across this morning?” She asked and Glenn nodded. Beth smiled sympathetically at the younger man, “I’m sorry Carl, I wish you would’a waited after knocking but I’m still sorry you had to see that.” She apologized with a little giggle. “So in case there’s any doubt, Daryl and I… We’re together.” Beth stated simply, shrugging her narrow shoulders not feeling the need to justify their relationship in any fashion and even if she did hope their group would be happy for them she certainly didn’t need their approval.

Glenn nodded at his sister in law, wincing a bit as he tried to fight any images in his head. “That might have come up.” He commented, shrugging his shoulders and awkwardly shifting his weight as she spoke to Carl about his intrusion into her room and the things he had seen. “I think we put that together.” He mumbled, sighing and considering what he should say to either of them.

The three of them were quiet for a long moment and Glenn suddenly felt now might be a good time to allow Beth and Carl to speak alone a while considering the kid had a bit of upset. “Well you’ve seemed happier since you got back but I just assumed that was because of all of us… not a certain redneck in particular.” He chuckled, reaching over and gently squeezing her shoulder. He tugged her to him for a hug, kissing her hair, “He’s a good man. It’s not entirely unexpected. As long as you’re happy with him and he’s happy with you.” He smiled, pulling back and giving her an approving nod before he stepped away to leave them to talk alone.

Carl was silent longer after Glenn left, kicking at the dust along the ground and feeling his cheeks flushing as he remembered the view he got of Beth… that was until he saw Daryl beneath her. “I should’ve waited but I just assumed you’d be alone and I thought I heard you up… so I came to get you for breakfast. I’m sorry.” He mumbled, not looking at her directly as he spoke.

“So it’s not just a one time thing?” He asked, nodding when Beth said her and Daryl were really a couple. “Well it’s like Glenn said as long as you’re happy then I guess it really doesn’t matter. I kind of thought—Never mind.” He muttered, shaking his head when she asked him to continue but the more she prodded the more he decided it was better to just admit what his ideas were. “Well you and I are closest in age, y’know? I’m not eighteen yet but I figured in this world we sort of looked past all that and that you and I would be—I don’t know.” He shrugged, fidgeting nervously as he waited for her and listened to her softly explain what she thought of him, that they were more like siblings than anything else.

Carl sighed and nodded, “No I know. Glenn and I talked and I really get it. It’s no big deal I just—wish I put that together beforehand y’know? That’s all. I don’t want you to pity me because it really doesn’t matter. Like Glenn said, Daryl’s a really good guy… mostly and you guys were separated from the rest of us, sort of was bound to happen.” He smiled, “Really Beth, it’s okay.”

 

Beth returned Carl’s smile, reaching out to pat his shoulder, “Thanks for understanding Carl. I love you, you know that right?” She gave him a look that was part affection and part sympathy. She never knew he felt anything like that towards her, always caring for him like she had her own brothers and the young woman hoped she’d never led him on in any way even if it was unintentional. 

The teen nodded and laughed though she didn’t miss how it sounded a little forced, but she knew he’d be all right eventually especially if somewhere down the road he was able to find someone who would care for him like he did them. Beth knew it was more rare now but that didn’t mean she would give up hope for him and all of her family to find happiness whether it was with another person or just in having a good life.

Beth had hoped to avoid the whole ‘official announcement’ ordeal but now that Glenn and Carl knew she figured she might as well let the others know so it didn’t become an issue later of anyone feeling left out of the news. She tried to be casual about it and everyone seemed to take the news in stride, Maggie and Carol in particular were overjoyed, hugging her and teasing about keeping her surly redneck in line.

By the time Rick, Michonne and Daryl returned from their task of getting the lay of the land, everyone knew and time to adjust to it, the tracker got a few words of congratulation and didn’t seem affected by it one way or another, though he was a bit caught off guard when Carol called him over to where she was finishing up nailing some boards and cabinet doors to windows, pulling him in for a light hug over the matter. Beth watched the archer embrace his friend with a little smile, tossing her head at him in greeting when he turned and caught sight of her and ambled over to where she stood in the middle of the main living room where most everyone had gathered to tend to tasks like mending clothes and cleaning weapons.

“Hey babe.” Beth greeted with a pleased little smile as he came to stand before her, looking up at him through her lashes and nodding when he asked straight up if everyone knew about them now. “Yep, word’s out.” She answered, opening her mouth to ask him how his day had been but all that came out was a little yelp of surprise when Daryl suddenly cupped her face in both hands and tugged her forward as he craned his head down, kissing her ravenously. 

Beth flailed and squeaked a bit against his lips at first but it only took a second or two for her to melt into his touch, she couldn’t help it, when he touched and kissed her it made the rest of the world fall away and all she could do was cling to him and struggle to keep up with the passion of his kiss.

“Hey.” Daryl greeted in return, stepping into Beth’s space as he asked if the congrats and pats on the back and words of blessing and acceptance were signs that officially word was out. It didn’t really bother him considering he truly cared about Beth and he was at a point now of being through with hiding his feelings towards others, good or bad.

Beth nodded at him, muttering that news had spread like wildfire but she claimed lightly that she had done it of her own accord more so than Carl being the one to out them. He said nothing more, pushing closer to her and cupping her face, his lips sealing over hers and he kissed her deeply, never once even considering the audience they might have right now, in fact if he were being honest he wanted them so see it was true. He kissed her ravenously, pulling back with a little grunt.

Beth blinked at him, her fingers curled tightly into the front of his shirt and he knew that he caught her completely off guard. He panted along with her, brushing his thumbs over her rosy cheeks and smiling crookedly down at his lover. “What? If everybody knows, there ain’t a reason I can’t do that.” He stated, pressing his lips to her’s once more, the contact far lighter in comparison this time.

The blonde giggled airily and agreed through a ragged whisper, separating herself from him just a bit further and holding onto his arms as she cleared her throat and asked how his day was. “Good. Better now. We went a little farther out this time.” He answered, dropping his hands to take over the task of what she was doing with Carol. She still stood there in a bit of a trance, “Ain’t you got work to do?” He teased, tapping her rear with his hand playfully and making even Carol laugh.

“Well aren’t you two the cutest. It’ll be somethin’ to get used to, seeing you so willing to hold someone like that, Daryl. But it’s a good thing. Only a matter of time.” The grey haired woman murmured softly, moving towards him and squeezing his shoulder in acknowledgement.

Daryl simply nodded his thanks and helped them board up the rest of the windows for the evening. When they finished Carol shooed them away to get cleaned up for dinner or whatever they wanted to do on their own, promising she would clean up the mess of nails and scrapped wood they made. The tracker took Beth’s hand in his, lacing their fingers and kissing her knuckles when he drew her hand up to his lips. “How yah feel about the others knowin’?” He asked, “Bout us I mean. Rick said Carl sorta voiced it pretty early this mornin’ at least to him.”

He sighed and led her out down towards the end of one of the old slave houses, wanting some space with her that wasn’t confined to a tiny room or virtually under a desk. He dropped to his knees and let her go, wiping his hand across the grass and then laying his ratty old jacket out for her to lie back on. Beth smiled and delicately sat down, lying out with him and he reclined back as close to her as he could manage. “Can I ask yah somethin’?” He smirked, waiting for her response, “How long you been crushin’ on me?” He half teased, rolling away when she reached out to hit his shoulder.

 

Beth eased down onto Daryl’s jacket and tucked herself against the tracker when he stretched out on the grass beside her. The evening was cool but between the windbreak of the old bunk house they were lying behind and his body heat the slender blonde was more than comfortable. They lay quietly for awhile watching the sky slowly turn orange and pink with the sunset till Daryl finally broke the easy silence between them with a question that made her burst into a fit of laughter with the way he phrased it.

“What kind of a question is that?” She asked in mock embarrassment, her hand darting out to slap his shoulder but he managed to avoid the light blow. Beth cuddled back into him when he laid back once more, sighing and actually giving his question some serious thought even if he’d mostly asked it to get a rise out of her.

“I dunno… Honestly when I really think about it, I’ve had feelings for you a lot longer than I realized.” Beth mused, her delicate hand absently fidgeting with a button on his worn shirt, “I always used to dream of meeting a guy and it’d be like a movie, all romantic and sweet and that’s how I’d know I loved him. But… But all that stuff isn’t important, not really. I didn’t realize how I really felt about you until that last night in the funeral home, but I trusted you long before that. And especially anymore trust is the most important thing you can have for or give to another person. You were the first person outside of my family that I truly trusted.” Beth admitted in a small voice, propping herself up on her elbow so she could see the tracker’s face in the waning light.

“I’m not just ‘crushin on you,’ I love you Daryl Dixon. I knew it since the night we got split up, and I loved you even before I knew that’s what I felt.” Beth murmured, smiling fondly at him and brushing her fingertips over his cheek and down along his scruffy jawline. Daryl drew his hand up to grasp hers and moved it so he could press a kiss to her palm, making her smile wider and her heart skip a beat as she waited for his response. 

She didn’t exactly expect the man to come out and say those three little words, but she at least hoped he would acknowledge her feelings out loud. Beth knew the tracker loved her, he expressed it best in the way he protected her so diligently, the way he touched her and made her feel like the most precious thing in the world when they were alone. But there was still a part of her that craved hearing it from his lips as well even if she felt a little silly for wanting it.

Daryl had only been teasing when he asked Beth about her little crush on him but he figured she knew. When she answered he simply grinned, watching her as she spoke about her feelings towards him. Of course he knew there was more to it than a crush and he hoped she understood the feelings were mutual for sure.

He took her hand and kissed her wrist and fingers, lacing their digits and pulling her up over him in part. The blonde giggled as he brushed her hair aside with his free hand, cupping her cheek and looking into her bright blue eyes. She chewed her lip asking why he was looking at her like that and he smiled at the slight worry in her tone.

He shook his head, "Cuz I love you too. There ain't nobody else I care about as much as you." He started, "I ain't good at much... but I'll take care of yah. Keep you safe." He muttered, pulling her in for a slow deep kiss, tasting her and savoring it.

Beths eyes watered as he held her, asking if he was certain and the tracker nodded. "Ain't ever been more sure in my life. Love you Gorgeous. Loved you since I started teaching yah to track and shoot a bow... I'd carry yah on my back a thousand fuckin miles." He chuckled, kissing her again.

“Faster baby please, I’m so close… Oh god!” Beth cried, her nails digging into the firm muscle of her lover’s back as he drove into her relentlessly. She could feel him throbbing inside her and knew he was on the edge as well, but she didn’t want to him to follow their typical pattern of him getting her off then withdrawing and finishing himself after the fact. 

The petite blonde had been craving the intimacy of falling over the edge with her lover for a long time, since their very first time together as a matter of fact, but it wasn’t until now that they’d come to this place they could really call home and spoken their feelings aloud that she dared to voice what she wanted.

“Daryl, I wanna… Ahh! I wanna feel you come inside me, please.” Beth struggled to speak clearly as her pleasure built, clinging to the tracker’s frame and hooking her legs as tightly around his waist as she could manage. He was having the same difficulty speaking but under the husky desire in his tone she could hear his doubt and the blonde was determined to do anything she could to convince him.

“Please baby, I’m dyin’ to feel you lose it, just thinking about it makes me.. Makes me wanna… Ahh!” Beth pleaded, feeling her orgasm start to unravel her at the seams and it stole her ability to speak. She bucked her hips up into his thrusts, taking him as deeply as possible and clenching her walls around his length, screaming out her pleasure as the added sensation of Daryl throbbing and exploding inside her pushed her climax to a new level.

Daryl cursed roughly as he came, thrusting wildly into her until he was completely spent and Beth rode out their shared high shaking and whimpering beneath her lover, helplessly adrift in the flood of sensations both physical and emotional that what they had shared caused in her. The hunter finally slowed and stopped, slumping against her and giving her most of his considerable weight as though he could barely support himself in the wake of his own pleasure. 

She didn’t mind, in fact it felt wonderful to be pressed down into the blankets by his body, their sweat-slicked skin sealed together and the cool evening air became a blessing to their overheated bodies. Beth took shaky breaths and lightly trailed her nails over his scarred back as she floated back down to earth, a pleased grin splashed across her face that she was fairly sure would be stuck there for the next few days. “Thank you baby, that was wonderful.” She murmured into his neck, turning her head in and kissing his ear. She wasn’t sure what had made him give in but she was glad he had.

Daryl grunted as he tipped over the edge with his lover, thrusting into her roughly until her body milked him dry and he was utterly spent, breathing raggedly above her. He slumped, panting heavily and cursing under his unstable breathing, pleased to have gotten that closeness with his lover but a part of him wondering if they should be chancing such a thing.

He sighed at her touch along his back, his own fingers brushing over her slender hips. The tracker lifted his head when she spoke, grinning at her little peck to the shell of his ear. “Hope you don’t regret it.” He muttered to Beth, nuzzling her nose with his when she said she had nothing to regret when she loved him and what happened would happen. He nodded, “We’ll work through whatever.” He agreed, sighing once more and kissing her softly.

Daryl rolled onto his side and lifted her over him instead, adjusting their bodies to get more comfortable. His breathing finally evened out as he held her, cradled her to his chest in the small cot. “Think we could just camp out here? Sure we ain’t gonna be missed much. Plus everybody’s gotta know what we’re doin’ anyhow.” He smiled at her little giggle, returning her kiss when she lifted her head to peck his lips.

Beth mentioned that the only problem with their tiny cot was one… it was just that, a tiny cot and two lying here now she was starting to freeze. He squeezed her tighter, his hands running along her ass, giving it a slap and making her squeak at the feeling. “Don’t worry I’ll keep yah warm no matter where we stay.” He muttered, closing his eyes and absently touching along her back and rear to keep her warm.

 

Daryl more than made good on his promise to keep Beth warm, the pair spent most of their night wrapped together taking advantage of the seclusion the bunk house afforded to enjoy each other without holding anything back. The next morning Beth was a little sore but in a good way, and Daryl didn’t exactly leave anything to anyone’s imagination when he carried her back into the main house past nearly everyone to go deposit her in their shared room to get cleaned up for the day.

Over the spring and summer everyone worked hard to settle in and fortify their new home digging a series of wide deep trenches to herd walkers into, finding seed and planting a garden that was getting set to have a fairly decent first harvest at the start of fall. They continued to go on runs, stocking up on everything they could get their hands on and storing extra weapons, batteries and non-perishable food down in the root cellar to keep it from any unwelcome visitors they might have. There was still a lot of work to be done, but everyone had a sense that this was home now, and they were here to stay.

Beth was fully recovered from her ordeal, back at a healthier weight and while she would never walk without a limp again it was less exaggerated and her endurance was basically the same as before she’d been caught in that hunter’s trap. The blonde was so grateful for this place but she was starting to go a little stir crazy. She hadn’t been off the plantation since they’d arrived, and the last few supply runs she found herself itching to go along.

Yesterday Carl had fallen through some stairs and sprained his ankle pretty badly, so he was stretched out on the couch with his foot bound up and babbling at Judith sitting in his lap. He was trying to teach her some words with mixed success, but it was still endearing to watch the pair of siblings interacting so happily. Beth knew that Carl, Daryl and Michonne had planned on going out again today, and since the youngest member of their group was down for the count, she figured now might be a good chance to get to breathe some different air for a bit.

She wandered out to where Daryl and Michonne were getting the truck ready to go, they were trying to venture out further than the town closest to the plantation looking to stock up on medical supplies and things of that nature, and she also knew Daryl was hoping to find some more ammo for his crossbow.

“Hey, got room for one more? I wanna see if I can find a few things for Judith to help her start learning her colors and shapes.” Beth asked when she got close enough, smiling at Michonne’s little shrug and answer that she didn’t mind. The blonde glanced from the tall dark woman to her lover.

Daryl was pleased to see that his lover had been building up her strength again, that she was now capable of walking most the plantation without completely tiring herself out. Though she had made progress he didn't much like her doing too much outside of some weeding and cleaning up around their newest home grounds.

He was packing up the car with Michonne when Beth came out to join them, a smile on her face as she requested to come with the pair. His gaze darted over to his friend sort of hoping she might consider that Beth might get hurt in some fashion, that it might be better to leave her behind but the woman nodded and shrugged to show she didn't mind either way.

Both woman flickered their eyes over to him and waited for some sort of response, either an agreement or disagreement and with the way Beth was biting her lip he figured she already knew his stand point. The tracker shook his head, "Beth you ain't built up enough strength to know if you can last all day out there. What if we gotta run from a group of geeks?" He started to ask.

"Then we stay behind and we fight back to back and stick together. The three of us." Michonne cut in, an adamant look in her dark eyes that told Daryl if he didn't say she could come, Michonne just might shut him out and make this trip far less enjoyable together. "Daryl we're down a man. The other's have jobs they're doing. Beth's proven herself before plenty." She reminded him.

"I know she's proven herself. This ain't your call." Daryl growled out, moving past the slender female and going to the blonde who looked just as displeased. As soon as he grabbed her arm she was already arguing with him about how Michonne was right, pointing out how far she had come.

The hunter pushed her towards the front of the truck and spoke a little quieter to her but just as sternly as if his mind were completely made up. "Beth I'm not about to risk you gettin' hurt again. It ain't about if you can kill a walker or two, it's the fact that I know you can't run. You ain't been runnin'. Do yah really think you can stand on one leg and drive a knife through a dozen walkers maybe more? We ain't been this far, we don't know what to expect yet."

He stepped close into her space and cupped her face when he could see the anger and irritation in her eyes. Daryl pressed his forehead to her's, brushing his thumbs over her rosy cheeks. "I trust you to fight but I'd rather yah didn't have to." He muttered, groaning in frustration when she pleaded he let her go, gripping at his shirt and holding him close to her. He sighed, "Yah gotta promise to stay close to me okay?" He said in defeat, meeting her eyes and waiting for a response.

“I know, I promise I’ll stick to you like glue all right?” Beth replied, her anger fading at his acceptance. The blonde smoothed her hands over his chest and leaned up to lightly peck Daryl’s lips. She understood his concern but she also knew that he tended on the over-protective side when it came to her. While it was true they were going into an unknown area which added an element of danger, the truth was if things went bad she’d be just as screwed on two legs as she was on one if they ended up getting overrun by a herd or shot down by some other group of scavengers.

The blonde knew she was taking a risk, but it was one that all of them took day in and day out for the sake of the group and she was sick of hiding at home like some kind of princess. She knew it was important that she kept the house running and Judith looked after for the most part, but Beth wanted to do her part out there as well, to make a difference in what they had to share together back home and most of all to help watch her lover’s back since he left her so often for the sake of the group’s needs.

She could tell it still didn’t sit well with Daryl letting her come along but they all piled into the truck, and Michonne gave the tracker an approving smile as they pulled away down the dirt road leading from the plantation. They talked and kept an eye out as they drove going out past a few abandoned vehicles on the road but they all looked fairly picked over so they decided to use the sunlight on their main goal, and maybe stop and check the cars out on their way back.

According to the travel maps that had once been available for guests of the museum, there was a small town about half an hour drive south of the plantation that was their goal for the day. As they got nearer the outskirts Daryl pulled off and parked the truck in an open empty garage of one of the first houses they passed, getting out with the two women and closing the garage door to hide their vehicle till they were ready to leave again. 

“421 Bluebird road, don’t forget it.” Beth quipped, noting the home’s address aloud so they could keep it in their minds as the location they needed to get back to before night fell. She was smiling despite knowing that they weren’t exactly safe out here, it was good to get off the farm and feel like she might actually find something good and make a difference for her family for once rather than being the one being taken care of all the time.

Daryl nodded at Beth’s confirmation of where they needed to head back to, making his own mental note of the locations whereabouts. He kept a close eye on Beth most the day on their run, noting when she got tired that her limp became more prevalent. “Hey, think we oughta be headin’ back. Sun’s goin’ down.” He called to the two women ahead of him, pleased to see Beth smiling while she joked around with Michonne. Maybe it would be okay for him to have her tag along, so far it hadn’t done any harm.

The taller darker woman turned and nodded in agreement, mentioning they should come back tomorrow to check the last few homes on the block they had stumbled to. “If we leave early we can get a little further.” He commented, waiting for them to walk back towards him and gently taking Beth’s arm. “You’re limpin’. You gonna make it?” He asked softly, his hand running over her lower back, almost prepped to scoop her up until she promised she was well enough to make the walk back to the car at least but she should take it easy when they get back.

The tracker left it at that, walking with her to ensure she had someone to catch her if needed. For the most part their trip went off without a hitch, stopping only a few times to clear out their path of walkers but as long as they stayed quiet it wasn’t too bad. The trio made it to the right house, pulling the garage opened and Daryl took driver’s seat again, helping Beth in first and watching her tear up in the back seat. So maybe this was too much for her.

He drove quietly back to the plantation they currently called home, scooping Beth out of the car while Michonne started unpacking. She nodded to Daryl her understanding when they exchanged a look, confirming with a gaze that she could handle unpacking on her own while he tended his lover.

The blonde fidgeted in his arms but he didn’t let her down. “Maybe the whole carryin’ you thing is for my own pleasure. Like feelin’ yah in my arms.” He mumbled, taking her up to her room and setting her on the bed. He sighed and laid back with her, putting their weaponry aside and looking to her as she closed her eyes. “Plus I know when you’re bullshittin’ me.” He quipped.

They laid there a few moments before he got up and took off her shoes, rubbing her feet until she was dozing off. Daryl climbed in bed beside her with a grunt of effort, his arm wrapping around her slender waist. “You wanna come with us tomorrow?” He offered, trying to ensure her that he wasn’t saying before she couldn’t keep coming with them. All he wanted was for her to do as much as she could without pushing herself.

 

Beth hummed drowsily at Daryl’s question, her stubbornness at war with her better sense as she fought the urge to immediately assure him that she was up for going back out tomorrow when the throbbing in her leg he’d managed to soothe away with his hands for the most part was informing her that wouldn’t be the best plan.

“I think it might be better if I stayed home tomorrow, I’ve got a pile of clothes to get washed anyhow.” Beth murmured, not voicing her true reason which was needing to rest her leg though they both knew it was the main factor. Daryl kindly didn’t bring it up, simply accepting her answer and holding her tighter, kissing her temple and telling her to get some shut eye. Beth smiled and tucked in as close against his frame as she could manage, quickly drifting off in the comfort of his embrace.

Early the next morning Beth saw her lover off along with Michonne and Sasha, keeping a smile on her face till they were gone but almost immediately wilting once they were out of sight. It was just as well that she needed to stay home and let her leg recover, she felt awful from the second she woke up. The petite blonde tried to eat something to settle her stomach but it only made her worse, she threw up all morning and it made her get less than half of what she wanted to accomplish done which just added frustration to the mix of how she was feeling.

Beth was feeling better for the most part by the time Daryl and the others returned so she decided not to mention it to him, but for the rest of the week she was sick almost every day either early in the morning or late at night and she was starting to worry that her lover was going to think that the reason she was more tired the past few days was because of her pushing too hard on the run he’d let her tag along for.

The blonde had a sneaking suspicion about why she was feeling ill lately, but she didn’t want to stir everyone up, especially not her lover, till she knew for sure. Finally at the end of the next week she broke down and confided in her older sister, pulling her aside before the brunette could leave with Glenn to go on a run of their own. “Maggie? When you’re out today, um… Would you… See if you can find me a test?” Beth asked quietly, sighing a bit out of exasperation at her sister’s blank look when she asked what she meant.

“You know, a test? As in… Find out if there’s a bun in the oven test?” She elaborated, jolting and hushing her sister when it dawned on her and her reaction was flamboyant to say the least, “Mags please, can you just… I wanna keep this quiet till I know for sure all right? No sense in worryin’ people if it turns out to be a false alarm.” Beth added, pleading with her expression and tone for her sister to understand.

Maggie didn’t understand Beth’s question at first, brow furrowed as she waited for her to explain a little further. Her eyes went wide and she nearly screamed out her question in confirmation. “You’re pregnant?!” She yelled, grunting and fighting against her little sister’s hand when she started to try and cover her mouth.

Her dark eyes darted around them, seeing if Glenn even noticed what she just shouted but he was far too busy himself and everyone else was a good distance away. She looked back at her baby sister, “Sorry.” She whispered, “I understand but I wanna know if this is Daryl’s bun.” She smiled, leaning towards the blonde and giggling a bit when she nodded. “Beth that’s great. Really. I realized with Glenn that we wanna live our lives to the fullest until it’s time to go, y’know? You seen Judith… She’s holdin’ up just fine. It’s a good thing okay?” She soothed, already sensing the girl’s worry.

She brushed her bangs back and pulled her sister into a hug, “I’ll look for one.” Maggie promised, rubbing the girl’s back and smiling at her. They didn’t have an answer yet but she wanted the younger of them to know that no matter what, this was their world and it was okay. “We’ll be back before dark. Take it you’ll be wantin’ some saltines or somethin’ if we find ‘em?” She asked, nodding and passing Beth to get into the truck with her husband. “Love you.” She said before they pulled away.

Just like Maggie promised it was dusk before they got back, crossing the only opened path to get back to the plantation. It was a little hard to get away from Glenn long enough to find a pregnancy test for her sister so the male ended up discovering their little secret. “Don’t say anythin’ to anyone, Glenn y’here me?” She poked at his chest, leaning to kiss him when they parked as he agreed he’d keep it safe. “Good. And for the record I’d tell yah if it were for me so relax.” She laughed.

The couple got out of the car and Beth was pulling laundry from the line, her expression changing a bit a she spotted them coming up with backpacks full of stuff. Maggie b-lined to her sister, Glenn in tow behind her offering to take her bag up. “Maggie’s right—We’ll all be here for you Beth. You’re my sister and a niece or nephew would be amazing. Especially here.” He smiled at the blonde, taking his wife’s bag and heading up to the front to unpack their findings.

“Sorry he found what I’d grabbed and freaked about me sneakin’ around. Told him it wasn’t for me.” The older sister, grinned, handing the box over to Beth. “Want some company while you go?” She muttered, offering to at least be close by should she need a shoulder after the fact.

Beth worried her lower lip with her teeth as she contemplated the small box in her hands, glancing up at her sister and nodding, “Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind… I’d like that a lot.” She replied softly, her voice a little shaky and her heart fluttering in her chest. Having encouragement from Glenn and Maggie helped, but she still wasn’t exactly sure what she ought to hope for, a positive or negative result.

The pair of women wandered back to the outhouse and Beth hoped there was still enough light outside to see by so she didn’t have to risk taking the test back into the house to read it. Daryl was out with Rick and Tyrese digging out more area for the trench around the plantation but still she figured the less people who knew about this the better.

The blonde followed the instructions and then went to sit in the grass by her older sibling while they waited in the growing dimness, and Beth started to doubt that they’d be able to read the results out here not to mention that the darker it got the sooner Daryl and the others would be back. Maggie wrapped her arm around her shoulders, mentioning what Beth already knew they had to do, head back inside but then a light came bobbing out towards them and Beth’s heart skipped till she saw that it was Glenn coming towards them.

Her brother in law held his lantern up as he came to stand before them, mentioning he thought it might help with a kind smile and they nodded. Beth took a deep breath and inspected the little wand, her breath hitching in her throat at the result. “It… It’s positive. I’m gonna have a baby.” She stammered, tears springing to her eyes and she was torn between laughing and crying. Maggie and Glenn both hugged her tight, expressing their happiness and as the reality sank in Beth decided that despite her worry, she was happy it was positive. She only hoped that her lover would feel the same way.

Beth discarded the test in the outhouse and the trio went back inside, Carol was already getting as much water heating up as she could so the men who’d been digging all day could clean themselves up once they got back so Beth busied herself putting together something for them to eat, needing a task to keep at least a little distracted. She wanted to tell Daryl before anyone else, but it was difficult to keep collected with such huge news circling around in her mind. She was fairly sure Carol at least knew something was up, but the older woman didn’t press her and she was glad for that, at once hoping Daryl would get back quick but also getting more anxious about telling him with every moment that went by.

Daryl and the others were back before it was completely dark, seeing mostly by moonlight with the tiniest bit of remaining sun as they walked up to the house. They wiped their feet and first thing was first, getting cleaned up sounded better than eating at the moment at least to the tracker anyways. He went to Carol and thanked her, dipping a towel into the warm water and wiping his hands then his face while the others did the same.

Rick and Tyresse wandered off to go eat and Daryl scrubbed a little harder at his neck and arms until he heard Beth’s small light footsteps from behind him. She came up to him when he glanced over his shoulder, “Hey Gorgeous.” He muttered, feeling exhausted but not enough to avoid a proper greeting with his lover. He kissed her softly, putting the warm wet cloth down and grinning crookedly at what she held in her hands. “Beth’s famous chili again huh?” He questioned, taking the bowl she offered and kissing her again but there was something off about her.

He didn’t address it right away, figuring maybe she was just as tired as he was. “You gonna eat?” He asked, taking her hand and leading her to the small table in the corner of the other room. The blonde shook her head, claiming she wasn’t hungry and that was at least the fourth meal in a row she gave him that excuse. “You’re gonna wear yourself down if yah don’t eat just a little bit. Carol made bread this mornin’. Eat some of that.” He urged, trying not to sound annoyed or concerned but indifferent to what she chose.

Beth admitted after a long look from the tracker that she hadn’t been feeling well. “That’s why you ain’t wantin’ to go out.” He said more as a matter of fact than asking a question. She nodded, “What’s wrong?” Daryl muttered, taking another bite or two of his meal while she explained she didn’t want to describe all that when he was eating. He chuckled, a little scoff escaping his throat as well. “Whatever.”

Did she forget who she was talking to? Daryl hadn’t been known to be the person with the weakest stomach so surely he could hear about this but again he didn’t press her that was until Beth asked if when he was done eating if he could come lie with her in the other room. He looked up to meet her eyes, chewing another bite as he gave a nod. “Why we gotta wait?” He questioned, looking her up and down as his concern grew for his lover. She wouldn’t answer and so he finished up all he could, pushing the bowl aside and she argued with him to finish eating and they could talk later on. “Naw. Beth what the hell’s goin’ on?” Daryl demanded, his heart pounding.

“Maggie’s on dish duty tonight. She can pick it up.” He said, taking the bowl from her when yet again she tried to avoid the conversation by clearing his place. He stood and stared at her, “You’re the one who wanted to talk, Beth. I’m done. Let’s go.” He said flatly.

Beth could tell Daryl was starting to lose patience with her less than graceful approach to sharing her news with him, but with her own feelings still so jumbled she could hardly conduct herself reasonably concerning it. She nodded and hesitantly wrapped her smaller hand around his first two fingers, tugging him gently and he followed her prompting to go back to the privacy of their own space.

They went inside and Daryl shut the door behind them, lingering in front of the door while she crossed the space to sit on the piano bench facing him. She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the uneasy way he was eyeing her, trying to appear unaffected but still looking almost like he expected her to drop a ton of bricks on him at any second. She supposed in a way that was exactly what she was about to do.

“Don’t look like that, it’s nothin’ to fret over. Well, at least I hope it isn’t, I mean I suppose it might be but-” Beth started, then corrected herself with a little wince and she realized that she wasn’t doing this well at all. “Look would’ya just come here? Sit with me.” She exclaimed softly, patting the bench beside her and Daryl ambled over, sitting down heavily beside her and leaning forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and gazing back at her with his intense stare that always managed to steal her breath no matter the situation.

“Um… I’m sorry about dinner, I didn’t wanna worry you, I just wanted to tell you in private.” The blonde began, a little hint of a hopeful smile tugging at her lips and she unconsciously hugged her arm around her still flat middle. “Daryl… I’m pregnant. That’s why I’ve been tired lately, skippin’ meals because I felt sick. We- We’re gonna have a baby.” She finally laid it all out in a rushed breath, her smile widening as she spoke the words aloud to him. She was still worried about his reaction but she couldn’t help it, just the idea that she was having a child with her lover filled her up with joy.

The tracker’s expression didn’t change for a moment, like he was struggling to comprehend the news when it was likely about the last thing he expected to hear from her. Beth held her breath and bit her lip, reaching out to rest her hand on the crook of his elbow, waiting for him to react.

Daryl fidgeted a bit until she finally gave a real explanation as to why she was acting funny and feeling so sick lately. His gaze on her remained, glancing down only briefly to watch her hand crossing over her flat middle. “You serious?” He asked at the feeling of her touch along his elbow. Beth was tearing up though he couldn’t really tell if it was out of happiness, worry, or fear.

He was silent a little longer but not much, his thought interrupted by Beth starting to argue how they could make it and he didn’t have to be a part of the kids life if he didn’t want to. The tracker reached out and cupped her face, leaning into her and kissing her deeply, ravishing her mouth to silence her completely and she groaned at him in response.

He broke away so they could breathe, opening his eyes to look at her crying before him. She questioned what he thought and he shook his head at her, “Think I’m in love with you.” He grinned crookedly, making her laugh at his answer as he ran his thumb over her rosy cheek to clear the line of tears there. “Ain’t that a good enough answer?” He muttered, resting his brow to her’s and sighing lightly.

“Beth I never saw myself bein’ a dad, not to noone’s kids… Thought havin’ a kid in this world was fuckin’ stupid but I woulda been safer with yah if there wasn’t a part of me that wanted it.” Daryl started, hoping that made sense to her. He took a slow breath, opening his eyes and running his free hand up her leg to her middle, touching her small tummy. “We almost got the trenches all done up. It’s gonna be safe here, safer than the prison was and we’ll start growing crops enough we won’t hafta make runs so much.”

“It’s gonna work. I’m gonna make sure it works for my family.” He muttered, meeting her eyes. “It’s okay.” The hunter stated simply, offering up a smile he reserved only for his lover.

 

Beth felt relief washing over her in waves at his words, her eyes welling over once more and smiling unreservedly. She nodded at him and leaned in to press her brow to his, crying and laughing and struggling to form words with the rush of emotions flowing out of her.

“We’ll make it work together, I know we will. This is the start of somethin’ new, somethin’ special. I know it’ll be hard but… I’m glad Daryl. I’m glad that you want this as much as I do. I’m glad it happened now, here in this place.” She responded, leaning back to look around the room they occupied. She reached back and brushed her fingers over the keys of the piano, “I can teach our little one to play… That was somethin’ I wanted to do ever since I was a little girl.” She admitted happily through her tears, nuzzling into her lover when he pulled her back against his frame.

“Well I guess now that you know, we can get the word out to everyone else.” Beth giggled, pressing her brow into the tracker’s neck and enjoying his warmth surrounding her. “Maggie and Glenn know already, I sorta… Had to tell Maggie so she could hunt down a test for me. I just wanted to be sure before I went and worried you over nothing. And of course what Maggie knows, Glenn does.” Beth explained with a little sheepish chuckle. 

She tried to shift out of his grasp and off the bench but went still when Daryl hooked his curled index finger under her chin and tipped her head back to meet his gaze. He murmured that everyone else could wait until morning to hear, claiming he wasn’t really in the mood to spend any more time outside their own four walls for the night.

Beth’s cheeks flushed and she giggled, draping her arm over his shoulder, “Oh is that so? And what did you have in mind hmm? I would’ve thought you’d be exhausted after being out diggin’ in the sun all day.” The blonde replied, humming against Daryl’s lips when he kissed her till her toes curled and her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. They broke apart and the tracker hooked his hand under her thigh, half tugging half lifting her onto his lap. His elbows striking a discordant chord when she leaned into him and he rested back on the keys, both of them smirking a bit at the sound as they kissed hungrily.

Beth tugged open Daryl’s worn sleeveless shirt, skidding her nails over his bare chest and moaning softly as he gave her ass a firm squeeze, pulling her more squarely into his lap and she could feel him getting harder for her with each feverish kiss they shared. “I guess at least one part of you isn’t tired hmm?” She purred, her own breathing getting ragged and she reached down to yank her own tank top off, canting her hips to his in a steady rhythm while he worked on unclasping her bra.

Daryl’s gruff response made her giggle again but the sound quickly melted into a moan as his warm lips trailed down her throat to her bare chest, his tongue and teeth teasing her rosy peaks to tight points and his strong hands guiding the motion of her hips to grind on him harder. She wasn’t sure if it was her happiness at his acceptance of her news that was adding to her pleasure, but either way the blonde could already feel her pleasure cresting just from the friction between them, the intensity of it catching her off guard.

“Daryl, baby I think I’m gonna- I’m.. Ahh!” Beth cried out suddenly as she shattered in his lap, hearing him groan against her skin and shuddering against him as she came down from her high. She knew in the back of her mind that everyone was still up and about in the house so she needed to keep quiet, but at the moment she was too happy and too wrapped up in the afterglow of her orgasm to care much about causing a disturbance with her sounds. 

She giggled and cupped his face when he raised up from her chest, her cheeks flushed red from her pleasure and a little embarrassment. “Oops.” She said simply, kissing Daryl hard and deep trying to goad him into giving her more of the same.

Daryl growled lowly as he felt Beth grinding down against him harder, his body at full attention and ready for her as she mentioned nearing her release. He simply held her hips, kissing and mouthing at each of her breasts in turn until she shattered above him. He couldn’t help but smirk a bit as she tugged his head up to look at her flushed face.

The hunter chuckled, “Oops.” He repeated, his lips sealing over her own, devouring her in every way possible. He grunted, working opened her shorts and lifting her off his lap to rid her of both her bottom garments. Beth giggled airily, working his pants and briefs off in turn and settling back over him but he pressed his hand against her core to keep her from taking him just yet. “Y’know I love yah right?” He muttered, drawing circles over her clit as she cried his name and promised she knew.

He grinned and gripped himself as she pleaded for more, guiding his throbbing shaft to her slick entrance and pushing up into her roughly. Beth gasped, gripping his shoulders harshly at the sudden penetration and riding his length slowly at first. She lightly mewled her love for him in return and he smiled, nipping at her lip down along her jaw.

“Fuck Gorgeous… Ahh, you feel too damn good.” He huffed, chuckling a bit at the admission when she did. He smirked up at her pretty face, watching her ride him happily, his hands dragging over her hip and ass, enjoying the view that only riled him further as she bounced atop him. “How’d I get so lucky huh?” He grunted, jumping a bit out of start when his elbow hit another chord. Beth laughed and eyed him beneath her, shaking her head and mentioning she was the lucky one.

“Bullshit.” He moaned, pulling her down for a kiss and growling as his pleasure neared, warning her through a groan that he was going to lose it. The words barely left his parted lips between kisses when she clenched around him, coming for him and urging him to follow. He did in a heartbeat, filling her up and losing control of their pace, slamming up into her heat until he was spent.

Beth giggled airily and he laughed with her, slumping back further and letting her rest along his broad chest. Daryl absently kissed at every inch of skin he could reach, ending on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up and off his length and carrying her to bed with him. She laid down easily, reclining back and rather than joining her like she prompted, he scooted down to kiss her middle just above her navel with a sigh. “Can’t promise I’m gonna be good at it but gonna do my damnedest to take care of you and your mom, kid.” He whispered, barely loud enough for Beth to hear him.

Beth settled comfortably into the blankets when Daryl set her down, her body still humming from their shared pleasure and she was more than glad that her lover had opted for taking the remainder of the evening for themselves. She held out her arm to him in a silent request that he join her but he opted for something she didn’t expect, easing down closer to her hip and feathering a few light kisses over her bare flat belly.

She barely caught the words he murmured, directed at the little spark of life inside her and her eyes pricked with tears of happiness. The blonde reached down to gently run her fingers through Daryl’s dark hair, smiling fondly down at him when he glanced up her body to meet her gaze. 

“You’re gonna be a wonderful daddy Daryl, I already know it.” The young woman assured him, continuing to brush her fingers through his hair as she spoke, “You might not care to admit it, but you’ve got the biggest heart of any man I’ve ever known. And you already take care such good care of me, of all of us… You’ll be a natural at fatherhood.” She insisted when he seemed more apt to shrug off the things she was saying about him.

He smiled softly at her, not quite accepting her compliment but at least he wasn’t denying it outright. The hunter slid up the bed to lay more at level with her, wrapping her in his arms and Beth kissed him everywhere she could reach, his face, neck, the inside of his wrist when he drew his hand up to smooth her hair back behind her ear. “The only problem you’ll have is givin’ our baby so much love they’ll get spoiled from it.” She giggled as she pictured her lover with their little one in his arms.

“Daryl…” Beth broke the quiet after a few moments quietly resting in the tracker’s arms. She could tell by his sleepy groan in response that he was barely awake but she kept talking anyway, her mind too full to really settle down for sleep. “Would you rather have a boy or a girl? I kinda hope it’ll be a boy, mama always said they were easier to bring up.” She giggled, images of Daryl teaching their son to shoot and track floating in her mind.

“Not that I wouldn’t love a girl that is. But... If it is a boy… Do you think we could name him after my daddy? Not for his first name maybe but, his middle one?” She asked, her voice a bit wobbly with emotion as she thought about how pleased her father would’ve been with this news especially now.

Daryl was tired but not quite sleeping yet when Beth asked about if he wanted a boy or girl. It honestly didn’t matter to him really, it wasn’t ever something he thought about if he were being honest. He probably didn’t need to say that for her to know it wasn’t something he considered would come up at all in his life when for the longest time he thought of himself as unfit for fatherhood or any number of relationships.

She continued without waiting for an answer and he couldn’t really form one aloud right now anyways, focused on resting while she questioned if they could name their boy if they had one that was, after her late father. He opened his eyes and met her watery blue gaze in the expansive darkness. “Well what’s his middle name?” He asked her, smirking a bit and making her laugh when she promised it wasn’t that bad.

Beth answered that his middle name had been Finn. He thought about it for a couple minutes and nodded, “Yeah I like that.” He agreed with a light grin. “Finn Dixon?” He offered, running his hand over her middle as they settled together a little closer. She nodded and gave her approval with a smile of her own, leaning up to kiss him softly. “Think it sounds good.” He muttered, sighing and closing his eyes again.

Beth nudged him to stay awake, questioning what he thought for girl names. “I don’t know Beth. I ain’t thought about it.” Daryl whispered tiredly, opening his eyes again to focus on what she was saying about girl names. She brought up naming her after someone too if they had a girl. He grunted his agreement, “Kay.” He mumbled, resting back in bed with his frame wrapped around hers and their bodies neatly tucked under the covers as she muttered his name.

“What?” He asked softly, half listening when she offered up a name for the girl if it were to be one. “’Kay baby.” He agreed once more, pressing his lips to her temple and murmuring against her skin, “Go to sleep. Just happy we’re havin’ a kid that’s all. We’ll figure it all out.” He said, slowly drifting off. “Love you too.” He breathed when she said the words first.

 

All through the summer Beth did her best to adjust to her changing body in stride, fortunately the sickness wore off after the first couple months and the main thing she had to deal with was fatigue and her increasing girth making getting around harder on her crippled leg. The blonde didn’t exactly have a wide frame of reference, but she didn’t remember Lori being quite so big at five months. Then again Rick’s wife had been much taller than her, maybe she just had more room than she did to accommodate the life growing inside her.

Beth was nearing her six month mark and while as far as both she and Carol could tell everything was progressing nicely, the young woman was starting to worry because she hadn’t felt her baby move yet. According to both Carol and Michonne who’d had babies of their own sometimes it took longer for first time mothers to recognize the feeling of her baby moving, but she just didn’t see how she could mistake such a thing for anything else even if she didn’t know what the sensation was like beforehand.

The blonde was out hanging laundry to dry, large cumbersome bedlinens that were a bit much for her to manage but she refused to let something so simple make her break down and ask for help. She already had to do that more and more and it drove her crazy, so she stubbornly continued her task despite the fact that she was only half-way done and was already breathing hard and feeling a little faint.

Beth pinned one side of a clean wet sheet to the line and started wrestling with the rest of it to get it secured, her first clothes pin coming loose in the jostle and she cursed through her teeth. The blonde stopped, hanging on the line holding the sheet up off the ground and took a couple deep breaths but the pause wasn’t helping her marshall any reserve strength.

Suddenly a pair of strong arms came up around either side of her and Beth jumped at the sudden presence, her lover had always been able to move silently and he often snuck up and startled her without really even intending to.

“Dammit Daryl, don’t scare me like that!” Beth panted, laughing a bit in spite of herself and watching as the tracker moved and secured a few clothespins in place so she could let go of the sodden linen. She stood with her hands braced into her lower back as he made quick work of hanging the sheet up, a little pout on her rosy lips when he turned back to face her.

“I could’ve done that. I just needed to rest a bit that’s all.” She defended herself though he hadn’t even said anything yet about how she should’ve asked for help with this task. The look on his face told her that was exactly what he was thinking, and that he was more than a little amused by her stubbornness getting the better of her.

She opened her mouth to continue to naysay his unspoken thoughts about her doing to much, but she was completely thrown off track by the strangest feeling she’d ever experienced. Beth looked down at her swollen middle and put her hands on her belly, going completely still and waiting. Maybe she had just imagined it but… No, there it was again, an unmistakable flutter deep inside her that almost tickled but more just struck her as the most alien yet most wonderful thing she’d ever felt.

Daryl seemed alarmed by her sudden change in demeanor, stepping into her space and asking if she was all right. The blonde nodded, tears springing to her eyes as she looked back up into her lover’s face, “I can feel the baby Daryl, I can feel it!” She exclaimed happily, relief and excitement battling for top spot in her heart at the moment. The blonde reached out and snatched her lover’s hand, pressing it firmly to her belly and keeping it pinned there with her smaller hand, hoping he’d be able to feel it too though it was faint.

Daryl stared at his lover as she snatched his hand and guided it down to her belly. His gaze flickered from her to the location of his palm and he waited on a breath, being as quiet as he could. It was after a few moments that he felt what she did, a firm flutter of life against his fingers and his eyes widened. “You weren’t kiddin’.” He muttered, chuckling a bit as he felt another kick towards his hand.

He bent a little lower and smiled despite himself, “Hey.” He started, his own eyes getting a little misty, enough that he had to actually clear the lump in his throat. Becoming a father scared him but at the same time he was excited to prove himself, excited to have the shot with Beth of all people. “Hey Squirt.” He muttered, “’Bout time yah showed up. Ain’t even here yet and you been worryin’ your mom.”

He felt Beth’s fingers run through his hair and straightened to look at her. The blonde asked if he was crying and he shook his head, “Naw. Your wild sheet hit me in the eye.” He lied, making her laugh and he smiled up at her as he pressed his lips to her belly.

The tracker’s hands trailed to other parts of her stomach and he could feel movement almost all across her middle. “Damn. Baby’s gettin’ tall.” He commented, brow furrowing in wonder if that was normal. Beth sighed and chided him for being as tall as he was, claiming their unborn child got that from him. “Probably have my big head too.” He joked, grunting lowly with effort as he got to his feet.

Daryl helped her finish up the laundry despite her protests, rubbing her back and shoulders when they got back inside. It was sort of unspoken that Daryl be given the chance to stop working as he pleased, his main priority becoming his lover and his kid now. Maggie passed them, dirty from working in the fields with Glenn and Carol. “Daryl. Rick and Tyreese are havin’ trouble with the truck, wondered if you could help.” Maggie mentioned, standing beside them and smiling.

With a nod Daryl agreed, kissing Beth’s hair and promising to be back to rub her feet for her. Maggie took his place with a little sigh. “Honestly I don’t know how you last more than an hour or two out there.” She complained with a laugh, laying her head back and smiling when Beth said she couldn’t stand being holed up to long.

They were quiet a moment before Beth took her hand, guiding it over her middle and instantly Maggie felt movement, her eyes flying opened again. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed, sitting up and running her hand to the other side. “When did that start happenin’?” She asked, grinning at her sister’s answer. “That’s amazin’ Beth. I told yah they were fine just like Carol and Michonne said. It just takes time. Everybody’s different.”

Maggie laughed lightly and met her little sister’s gaze, “I’d be more worried that you’re balloonin’ up to the point of lift off pretty soon. ‘Bout ready to have your own gravitational pull.” She teased, making Beth stare at her almost looking fearful. “I’m just teasin’. Everybody’s different, Beth.” She repeated.

 

Beth made herself chuckle at her sister’s teasing, knowing Maggie was just teasing but she couldn’t help but feel some real apprehension about how big her baby bump was growing compared to what she was familiar with, which granted wasn’t much but still. It mostly made her doubt how correct their guess was about how far along she was, maybe she was closer to giving birth than any of them suspected and she still felt far from ready to face that ordeal.

Doubts like that just led her to the reminder that even if she were to have the baby close to when they suspected or way too early, they’d have no way of knowing until after the fact anyway. Beth had always hated going to the doctor and dentist and things as a young girl, but now she would give a lot to have a bit of reassurance from a physician. 

Maggie seemed to pick up on her distress, scooting closer and hugging her to her side, whispering reassurances to her and Beth did her best not to let the tears pricking her eyes get past her dark lashes. She knew that part of her worry was born simply of her aggravated hormones, but that didn’t stop her from feeling it just as intensely. The farther along she got, the more Beth was having trouble keeping her fears at bay, not just about the many unknowns they faced and the birth, but afterwards… Was it really reasonable of her to hope that her baby would grow up happy and healthy? They were basically back in the old days again, back when infant mortality rates were so much higher… She tried to put it out of her mind since it was only making her cry more.

Maggie apologized for upsetting her and the blonde sat up and shook her head, wiping her eyes and smiling as brightly as she could manage, “No, you don’t got anything to apologize for Maggie. I’m just getting more worried about the baby comin’, you know? I just... Don’t want anything bad to happen to my little angel.” She explained, her voice wobbling a bit as she glanced back down at her belly and rested her hand over it protectively. Her sister reassured her that everything would be fine, her own eyes moist. It was nice to hear her words of comfort even if they weren’t really promises that could be kept.

Weeks passed and the days started getting shorter, the group was more than pleased by how well their fall harvest was coming along and Carol and Beth spent most of their time canning and pickling various fruits and vegetables for the coldest months of the year to come. The blonde was so hugely pregnant now that with her leg it was a decent challenge for her just to get around, and Glenn had jokingly coined the term ‘Beth duty’ which meant that one of her family was always within a few feet of her keeping an eye to make sure she didn’t topple, which she was in nearly constant danger of doing with her center of gravity so greatly shifted.

Almost everyone was betting on the couple having twins now, and while Beth had no way to be certain she couldn’t deny that she was far larger than she ever would have expected to be, and while she had no basis for comparison it seemed like her little one was either going to be quite acrobatic or there was more than one moving around inside her. More often than not it was Daryl himself on ‘Beth duty,’ keeping a close eye on her and doing nearly everything for her whether she liked it or not.

The blonde was carrying a flat of canned peaches out to the root cellar, having managed to duck her babysitters for the moment. She was privately amused by the shelf her belly had become that she could balance things on, and she hummed softly to herself as she walked out to the cellar. Sure enough the second she got the door open she heard a deep male voice calling her name, and she turned to see Daryl jogging towards her across the lawn.

Beth sighed deeply. She was glad that her lover and everyone else were so attentive to her… But they were perhaps a bit too attentive at times. “Baby I can do this-” Beth began as Daryl stooped and picked up her shallow crate of bottled fruit, following him down the dusty root cellar steps and helping to transfer the jars from the crate to the shelves lining the walls. 

“I’m starting to feel like a big ol’ lump on a log. It’s like I’m… Not good for anything but being an incubator anymore.” She confessed her frustration, knowing it wasn’t totally rational but still not liking feeling like a burden to her loved ones.

“You’re not a big ol’ lump on a log.” Daryl said, putting up the last jar and glancing at his lover. He drew his arm around her frame and pulled her to him as best as her belly would allow. “I know we’re all gettin’ a little carried away but we’re all worried about yah. Your health is important and so is the baby’s.” He reminded her, kissing her softly. “Just how it’s gotta be and it ain’t gonna be much longer.” He comforted, taking her hand and leading their way up the cellar steps.

Another week passed and Beth was to the point of not being able to even stay on her feet more than an hour or two at a time. Daryl was worrying for her, checking on her periodically whenever she was inside or outside, it didn’t matter, he felt a constant need to be at her side for anything. “Daryl get your bow.” Glenn had said to him in a rush, having jogged inside to the front room of the plantation’s main building. His blue eyes darted up to the boy, waiting for a reason. “Now. They tore through the gate. Michonne, Maggie and Tyreese are already out there and Carol’s on her way up for Beth.”

Daryl looked at them both, torn between two missions he had given himself, protecting his family and staying by Beth’s side. The blonde pushed at him, telling him to go and she would wait for Carol. He nodded and bolted to the wall, grabbing his weapon of choice from the entry way and following after Glenn outside. He was pleased when they passed Carol on the porch, ushering them to keep going and mentioning she would escort Beth down to the safety.

The tracker hardly heard, his focus darting to the gate out front in the distance and there he saw a group of twenty geeks or more, bolting and stumbling past the fencing. “Shit.” He grumbled, running and already firing arrows at the intruders. “Get the truck, run ‘em down!” He yelled to no one in particular, getting closer and trying to temporarily shove the walkers down into the trenches but when he looked it was clear they were already filled almost to the point of being able to pile on top of each other and climb out once more.

\---

“Beth.” Carol called softly at first, rushing inside and smiling at the young woman. “They’ve got it handled but the walkers… they’re getting closer.” She muttered, looking out the window and seeing Daryl and the other’s fighting the intruders. The group steadily getting further out towards their crops and she hoped to God or whatever there was out there that they kept them from their main source of food. 

“C’mon Sweetie.” The older woman encouraged, looping her arm around the blonde and nearly forcing her up off the couch. Beth protested that she wanted to help, that she could still shoot. “I know you can. It’s not good for the baby or babies. It might not seem like it but their ears are sensitive, even talking too loud can affect them it’s better you and I go down in the cellar. Nice and quiet and safe. I’ll keep it unlocked for the other’s if they need a place. I promise.” She soothed, helping her up despite that she started crying on her.

Carol sighed and led her out of the side door from the kitchen, walking as fast as Beth could manage down into the cellar and helping her down the stairs. She got Beth half settled and heard grunting a screaming outside, the sounds of a fight coming in through the opened cellar door. Beth was asking what was happening and Carol hushed her, running back to close the door. “Go sit.” She urged, “Beth, go sit!” She said again when she didn’t listen.

She was staring up at the door originally but looked back when Beth started crying harder, begging for Carol’s attention. The older woman spun around, tucking her knife back in her belt and as soon as she looked back at the blonde she knew what was happening. A pool of murky water was at her feet, her jeans damp around her thighs and front and Beth looked like she might just pass out.

The grey haired woman went to her side in a rush, “Beth… Honey it’s okay.” She cooed, shaking her head at her when Beth kept asking about the others, Daryl in particular. “I’m worried about you right now. They know where we are. They’ll come check soon enough when it’s clear okay? C’mon. Lie down I’ll see if I can find those sheets.” She muttered, helping her slide down along the wall and going to find some covers for her. “We’ve gotta get your pants off alright? I need you to focus on what I tell you, nothing else.”

 

Beth’s heart was pounding, panic making her chest tight and her voice shrill as she spoke to the older woman rummaging around the cellar looking for anything she could use for the birthing process, “No no no this can’t be happening now, not like this.” The blonde whimpered, shifting uncomfortably at the pressure she felt in her lower back and abdomen. Her teary blue eyes went wide with alarm when Carol told her she had to run back topside for a few things, promising to be right back and running up the stairs despite Beth’s cry of protest.

The door of the cellar slammed shut and Beth was left alone in the underground space, illuminated poorly by the single camp lantern they left down here. She bit her lip trying to stifle her sobs, fear and desperation eclipsing any pain she felt. After what felt like an eternity the cellar door creaked and her heart skipped, barely drawing in a breath when Carol reappeared, her arms laden with a few blankets, another lantern and a canteen.

“Did you see what’s happening up there? Is everyone all right?” Beth asked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as the older woman explained that as far as she could see everyone was still standing, but that shouldn’t be her focus at the moment. She asked how much pain she was in and Beth shook her head, “Not much really. I kinda expected there to be more honestly.” She admitted with a huff as Carol helped her remove her sodden jeans and underwear, getting settled on the blanket she spread out on the dirt floor with her back against the cool packed earth wall.

The grey-haired woman assured her with a wry laugh that things were only getting started, and when the real pain did hit she needed to try and be as quiet as possible. Beth nodded, trying to do as Carol said and take even breaths but it was difficult when most of her mind was on her lover and if each passing second might be his last on earth.

Carol gave her a towel to put over her lap for the time being, prompting her to sip some water but Beth turned her head away after taking a small drink, “Carol please, can’t you go and see what’s happening? I’m fine, I can’t stand not knowing what’s going on up there-oh God!” Beth pleaded, her voice suddenly dialing up into a shrill curse as she was hit with a sharp pain low in her belly.

The older woman coached her to breathe through it, bracing her hand on Beth’s raised knee and squeezing it reassuringly. The petite blonde huffed and whimpered through the first real contraction she’d felt, barely having a moment to catch her breath when another series of stabbing pains followed on the heels of the first. Beth tried to stay quiet, her head tipping back against the wall and she closed her eyes tight making tears run down her flushed cheeks.

“Oh God… Daryl... I don't think I can do this without him, I can’t-” She mumbled through her sobs, looking back at Carol when the woman told her sternly to do so.

“Beth you’re going to have to. I’m sorry but I’m almost certain that by the time I make it up those steps, get a good enough look to tell you where he’s at and his condition, you’ll have popped a baby out on the dirt floor.” Carol said in a stern tone, reaching up and wiping the girl’s sweat dampened brow. “Now you can do this just fine on your own. I’ll coach you the whole way and they’ll be done up there soon enough okay.”

She shifted a little lower and sat back on her knees, urging Beth’s legs apart and giving a little sigh as she confirmed just how ready to go her body was. “Beth I need you to start pushing. You can do this honey. I need you to focus.” She reminded her, folding the blanket back a bit so she could see a little better and soothing the blonde through each contraction and each push.

Beth was struggling not to scream and Carol internally thanked her for maintaining at least a little bit of control. “You’re doing great. I see the baby’s head. Come on, a few more good ones.” She urged, extending her arm out, blanket draped over her leg and ready to wrap the baby in its warmth. It was little under ten minutes before a gurgling cry erupted within the cellar and Carol smiled as she soothed the newborn.

She was quick to clean them up, taking her knife and cutting the umbilical cord. The older woman could hear Beth crying but the ruckus behind her made it hard for her to determine if she was sobbing from the birth of her baby, the pain she felt or the fact that Daryl, Maggie and Glenn were all rushing down the stairs towards them. The tracker was speckled with blood and grime, his eyes watering at the sight of his child in Carol’s arms but he didn’t reach out for them.

Beth whimpered from where she lay, claiming she still felt pain and Daryl bolted to her side, taking her hand and lifting her head into his lap. “Glenn, take the boy. We’ve got another one coming.” Carol said, grinning a little at Beth’s question about it being a boy.

“Finn. His name’s Finn.” Daryl interrupted, sniffling a little himself and holding onto Beth, letting her use him for support as much as she needed and wanting. Carol bent again and within a matter of another few moments a second cry came from the final addition to the Dixon-Greene family.

Carol gestured for Daryl to come down and cut the cord this time and he did gladly so, watching Maggie scoop up the smallest of the two and clean them off. “It’s a girl.” The older sister laughed, crying herself as she got to her knees with Glenn joining her, offering over both little ones to their parents.

Beth panted from the exertion of freeing her little ones from her body, her vision swimming a bit at the edges as she started to crash from the adrenaline rush she’d just rode on. But she made herself take deep breaths and gratefully the room stopped tilting. She watched fondly as her sister and brother in law cradled her newborns, cleaning the worst of the mess from their tiny bodies and she vaguely registered Carol checking her over and mopping her up a bit as well.

Tears flowed freely from her blue eyes and she reached out towards Glenn, “Can I have them please?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper through her ragged breathing. The blonde slumped gratefully against her lover, depending on his support to keep her upright and not caring that he was covered in filth from defending their home from walkers. Both Glenn and Maggie carefully handed over their swaddled bundles to her, helping her get them arranged in each arm.

“God aren’t they just beautiful Daryl? Our little miracles.” Beth murmured sweetly, tipping her head against his cheek where he leaned over her shoulder to gaze at their children. He responded softly, his own voice hoarse with emotion and he reached out towards the little boy in her right arm but paused, wanting to touch but not wanting to soil the baby with walker filth. Carol piped up telling the tracker to give her his hand, pouring water from the canteen over it and scrubbing his hand for him with a towel till he was clean at least from the wrist down.

Daryl nodded his thanks to the older woman, ever so gently brushing his fingertips over his son’s small head, the tenderness in his touch melting Beth’s heart and she laughed softly from the sheer love and joy she felt finally having her whole family with her.

“I guess we get to use both names we liked then… Finn and Willow Dixon. Welcome to the world little ones, don’t mind your daddy, he just got it all safe and clear for you.” Beth said with a soft chuckle, glancing up at the hunter and smiling at him gratefully, “I love you.” She whispered, giggling a bit when he gingerly kissed her sweaty brow, leaving a small stain on her skin but she didn’t care at the moment.

The blonde glanced around the small space, a little better lit now with the cellar door being left hanging open which at least meant things were clear topside for now. Her smile bent as she did a quick headcount, her heart beating faster as she realized they were several members short. “Daryl, where’s Rick and Carl? And everyone else, did they-” She stammered, panic rising in her chest again but the tracker was quick to assure her that those she mentioned were fine, as well as Michonne and Tyrese but that they were tending to Sasha who’d been bitten. He didn’t have to go into detail, they all knew what that meant.

Beth’s eyes pricked with new tears and she clutched her little ones tighter to her chest, kissing them both and shaking a bit from holding back her sobs as best she could.

 

Daryl bent and kissed Beth’s temple again, “I know Gorgeous.” He muttered, rubbing her shoulder lightly. “She’s goin’ out fightin’. One’s better than two.” He reminded her, unable to help his grin as he looked at the twins. “In certain situations anyways.” He said.

Rick came down eventually to tell them the place was cleared and the fence was going to need real mending not the patch work they had done temporarily. His eyes had darted down to Beth and Daryl could have sworn he saw the man starting to cry just as Carl brought Judith around the steps to see the newborns.

They let Beth rest a little longer before helping her back up the stairs and urging her into bed. Daryl took the chance to clean up a bit so he could properly hold both of his babies, glancing at the little baskets they had made up for the baby, one a little less proper than the other considering they weren’t certain on if they’d have one or two. He grinned at them both, going to settle on the bed where he could see them. He reached over and ever so gently scooped up the one in blue, had to be Finn he guessed.

“Good thing yah made clothes for both huh?” Daryl commented, his voice low and soft as to not startle or even stir their newborn boy or girl. He tugged his little cap down further to keep his head warm. “Sorry I couldn’t be there Bud.” He whispered to Finn, brushing his knuckle along his soft cheek.

The trackers eyes welled up and he held his boy a little tighter, feeling Beth’s hand on his back as she asked if he was okay. “Yeah. Just—Thought I’d lose you or them.” He mumbled, breathing in a shaky breath mingled in with a sob. “One lucky bastard, that’s all.” He stated, shifting and lying Finn on their bed, supported with pillows on each side. He bent and picked up Willow next, wanting them both close with them.

He nuzzled her rosy cheek and kissed her tiny head, “Your mama’s a tough cookie, ain’t she?” He chuckled, making Willow jolt but she didn’t really open her eyes. The infant wriggled in her blanket and yawned a huge yawn, Daryl smiled, “Sorry.” He muttered, “Cleaned up real good for yah so we could all curl up in bed, y’know? Ain’t got tah hold yah yet.” He grunted and turned again, careful of Finn on his opposite side and guiding Willow down along his chest.

Beth picked up Finn with a smile and in a silent understanding he scooted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head. “You did amazin’, Beth. Thank you.”

 

Beth smiled fondly at her lover, nuzzling up close against his side with their tiny new additions resting on them and hooking her good ankle between his feet. The blonde was tired both physically and mentally, sore and still a bit shaken from everything that had happened good and bad, but despite everything the blonde was certain she’d never been closer to heaven than she was right now curled up with her little family.

She hadn’t meant to but the blonde drifted off for a short while, waking when her son started softly fussing on her chest, awake and probably hungry. Beth smiled and shifted gingerly, glancing at Daryl who was soundly asleep after the battle he’d fought keeping them safe, his little prize for doing so sleeping on his chest held secure under his large hand cupping her swaddled bottom.

Beth softly cooed at Finn, managing to get him positioned and started nursing without disrupting the other half of their family’s slumber. She fondly brushed the back of her fingers over her son’s head as he eagerly took what he needed from her, marveling a bit at her own natural ability to sustain her babies with her own body. That had been one of her big fears if she hadn’t survived giving birth. Judith had barely gotten by a few times when they had trouble finding formula, and it had been on the list for every run taken while she was pregnant but in that time they had only found enough to last maybe two months or so and that was for only one baby.

She started softly humming to her son as he nursed, his little body relaxing against her as he satisfied his hunger and she gingerly sat up to pat his back and help him get rid of any air bubbles. That motion was enough to stir Daryl next to her and he looked a little surprised for half a second at the little being sleeping on his front, a grin spreading over his features in recognition in the next heartbeat.

Beth chuckled softly, “You think it was all a dream for a minute? I know I did.” She commented, gently bouncing her little bundle and praising him absently when he burped for her. The tracker nodded and braced Willow with his hands as he sat up, the motion waking her and she immediately started to fidget and mewl and Daryl hushed her, asking her what was wrong.

“She’s probably hungry too, just got finished with her brother.” Beth answered on Willow’s behalf, gently resting Finn on her lap and holding out her arms to take their little girl from her father. “Trade ya?” She asked with a little giggle, gingerly taking her from his hands and leaning back so he could pick up Finn from where he rested on her thighs. “It’s a good thing we’ve got two pairs of hands for this.” She commented, meaning for it to be light but really she was deeply grateful that her lover was still alive and well beside her.

Daryl scooped up his little boy, taking him happily in his arms and lightly tapping his back to ensure he was burped and comforted. He could hear Finn yawn against his ear, chuckling a little bit. “You and me both Bud.” He commented, glancing to Beth and knowing what she really meant. “Beth I been fightin’ walkers how long now? Ain’t yah figured out yet, nothin’s gonna kill me.” He joked, making her laugh at least though he knew she really had been worried.

“Just sucks I missed the first one is all.” He muttered, cuddling his son to his chest and turning him over so he could see his sleeping face. He grew quiet for a while, petting Finn’s chubby cheek and admire what they created together. “Can’t believe I’m a dad…” He mumbled, almost forgetting that Beth was there until she moved to tug her shirt down and cuddle up to his side again.

The tracker smiled at her, putting his free hand over her leg and watching her with Willow. “You look real good like that. Always thought so… from watchin’ you with Judith.” He said, kissing her soft and slow. “You’re perfect for all this.”

\---

The first couple months went by like nothing and the twins kept both parents and the rest of the gang fairly busy. Daryl had gone on less runs for this reason, wanting to be the caretaker over someone else. It made him wonder just how Rick could give up so much time with his own family. Though he supposed being the leader definitely was a different role than what Daryl did for the group.

He sprawled on the floor with both kids while Beth was in the other room making breakfast for everyone. She had still stuck to a few of her duties somehow managing to get it all done with two kids to feed and care for. “Finn.” Daryl muttered, “You stink, man.” He said to the boy, simply making him giggle and stick both his hands out from where he sit on the floor. “We could feed your diapers to the walkers, might make em change their minds, go vegan.” He teased.

Finn hiccupped and the hunter grinned, picking him up and lying him out on a blanket to change him. Every action towards Finn made Willow scream or squeal and every action towards Willow made Finn scream or squeal. He winced, Willow’s vocal chords seeming a lot stronger than Finn’s at least for now as she screeched at him. “Alright. Chill missy.” He said absently, reaching for a stuffed toy and putting it in front of her which instantly got put in her mouth.

Daryl laughed at his daughter, shaking his head when he caught her happily chewing the ear of the stuffed puppy he handed her. “Weirdo.” He mumbled, redressing Finn and sitting him back on his rear. “Alright little man.” He started, scooting back a couple feet. “You’re a big boy now. Know what big boys do? Crawl. C’mon.” He clapped his hands together and wriggled his fingers to get the boy’s attention from his sister now.

“Finn. ‘Ey. I’m over here.” He grinned, chuckling when the boy tipped himself over. Daryl reached and righted him again but rather than crawling on all fours, Finn scooted his butt along the ground in a similar fashion to what Daryl had just done. His tiny arms jutting out for balance as his feet dragged on the ground, pulling his weight a few inches closer to his father then reaching for him and crying. Daryl rolled onto his own belly and picked him up to come closer.

 

Beth could hear her daughter shrieking and squealing in the other room, and while she sounded upset Beth had learned both of her children’s sounds fairly well, knowing she wasn’t in any real pain or distress she was just caterwauling out of jealousy. Both twins tended to make a fuss if one appeared to be getting more attention than the other. The blonde laughed quietly to herself, glancing at Maggie who was working on breakfast with her and shaking her head.

“I swear Willow takes after the woman she was named for to a T. You were always the noisier one.” Beth teased her older sister, dishing up the sweet corn porridge she’d cooked into a large china serving bowl, smiling a bit to think that by making this old historical museum their home in this harsh post-apocalyptic time she ironically had more beautiful dishes than she probably ever could have afforded in her old life.

The two women prepared everything for their mixed family, Maggie venturing out to call everyone in who was working outside while Beth went into the living room to find her other half and their noisy brood. She laughed and shook her head at what she found, Daryl down on the floor trying to coach both babies into crawling, demonstrating for them and talking to them like they ought to perfectly follow what he was instructing. Finn and Willow both sat facing him, wobbling a bit in place since their heads were still a bit heavy for them to hold upright for long.

“You know about the only thing they’re learnin’ right now is that their daddy is a bit off his rocker, right?” Beth laughed, the sound of her voice capturing both babies’ attention and Finn tipped over trying to crane his head back towards her too far, squalling indignantly at his sudden drop. Willow on the other hand seemed to have mastered maneuvering about by scooting on her bottom, slowly but surely rotating herself to face Beth and babbling at her enthusiastically, reaching her small arms up and closing her tiny hands in fists repeatedly.

“All right, all right baby girl mama sees you.” Beth cooed going and scooping Willow up and nuzzling her face, laughing at the girl’s shrill but happy shriek. Daryl had already collected their son off the floor and convinced him that he wasn’t as traumatized by his tip over as he first thought, and the couple carried them into the kitchen.

Daryl grabbed himself a bowl of porridge in one hand with Finn still in the other, going to the table and sitting with the boy on his thigh. The tracker asked about giving him a sample of his breakfast as Beth got settled on the seat next to him with Willow braced against her chest. “They’re not quite old enough for solid foods yet, but you can dip your finger in it and let him taste it if you like.” She told him, smiling and watching as Daryl dipped the tip of his pinky finger into the sweet porridge and offered it to their son, laughing when he eagerly latched on and opened his mouth for another taste when he got what he could off his father’s finger.

“Great, mama’s milk isn’t gonna be good enough now.” Beth teased, following suit with Willow but their daughter had no interest in the soupy corn mixture, at least at the moment she was too busy trying to grab at Beth’s braided blonde pigtail.

“I don’t know about that.” Daryl muttered, letting Finn suckle his pinky finger a second time while he spoke. “Finn’s a pretty good eater, think he’d eat ‘til he exploded if we let ‘im.” He chuckled, watching Finn lazily keep his mouth around his father’s pinky and shaking his head at the boy. “He’ll stretch out though.” Daryl assured, knowing how Beth felt about comments on Finn’s size for his age. He was a little over weight but there really wasn’t anything they could do about it when he was hungry most the time.

\---

It was their first run official with their father, pulling up to the overrun building. By now things were dwindling down to next to nothing and the drives were getting longer. They stopped off to check cars on the roads for gas as they came up on them whenever they had the chance and though she knew it was needed, it drove Willow crazy waiting.

“Honestly I can’t decide if just walking for days to get out here is better than driving and havin’ my legs crammed behind Finn’s seat.” The brunette whined, shoving at her ‘older’ brother to get out of the car so she could follow when he pushed his seat forward.

Finn sighed, “I said you could ride up front.” He grumbled, getting out and grabbing his bag from the back.

Willow scoffed, “You mean and be trapped between your pits and Dads? No thanks. How about we hunt for pillows and blankets and I’ll ride in the bed of the truck on the way back.” She offered, smiling and playfully pushing her brother again who this time nudged her back.

The trio walked, for the most part quiet while they lined the streets and went inside the first store. They split up, their father having come to trust they could handle themselves enough to know when to call for help and how to fight alone if needed. “See if you can find batteries, Will.” Daryl instructed, guiding her towards one aisle and then Finn to another section of the store when she nodded her understanding. “Keep-“

“Keep quiet and stay low. Don’t use my light or gun unless I have to. Whistle for help don’t yell unless it’s dire. I know I know.” She said, smiling at her father sweetly when he gave her that stern look she knew all too well. She jogged back to kiss his cheek, “I know Daddy. You’ve trained us for years, I can do this.” She vowed, pulling away and going back to her own location. “I’ll meet you guys at the door after.”

Willow walked alone up and down the few aisles that were ‘hers’ to claim, on the fourth she found batteries along with a few cans of something or other… the darkening store making it harder to tell. She squeaked when she heard movement, her heart racing as she stepped to the end of the shelves, spotting around the corner a slow moving walker. She steadied her breathing and raced around the next aisle, wielding her knife and grunting as she tackled it to the ground, driving her blade through its skull.

She panted as she straightened out, smiling to herself and walking around her kill to head back out like she had promised. The brunette had learned just how to walk, to keep as silent as she could, wiping her knife on her skinny cargo pants, thankful that her aunt had clothes to pass down to her that were still… in good enough shape and fit her just as well.

Her head cocked to the left, hearing conversation down the street a ways. She walked towards it, confused, maybe she hadn’t heard her father say he would be at the next main store. “Dad? Finn?” She whispered, craning her head to try and see who it was. She spotted a group of a few men and yet again she felt she just might wet herself at the challenge.

Willow put her hand on the butt of her gun, preparing herself just in case when she felt another’s hand wrap around her wrist to keep her from removing her weapon from its holster. Out of instinct she drove her elbow back and tried not to scream, whipping around and drawing her gun in an instant, aiming it at the stranger. He wasn’t as tall as her father nor was he blonde and she knew he had to be part of the other few. “This might be a different time but Mama says never let a man lay a hand on you ‘less yah want it. Pretty sure Daddy agrees and if I yell loud enough all my men will come runnin’.” She said, trying to make it sound as though there were more than just her dad and brother here now. “Plus I’m a quick shot. Ain’t even gonna bat an eye shootin’ all you.”

Jack hated having to go on supply runs with Gordon, he and his asshole friends were some of the worst of their group, at least when he went with Samuel he mostly got ignored as long as he did his job and kept his mouth shut. No, Gordon seemed to take particular joy in making Jack’s life a living hell, and that was saying something considering an average day in his life involved running from and cutting down walking corpses all while starving and not having a single person on which he could rely.

They had found this town about an hour ago, scrounging for what they could and Jack took the chance to break off on his own to look for supplies while he had the excuse to get away from the others. He knew he needed a group to survive in this world, but that certainly didn’t mean he had to like them. 

The young man searched a few houses and store fronts, looking for the items on his list but also hiding several of his own prizes at the bottom of his bag, as many as he felt he could risk: books. Jack loved reading, it was his only respite from his shitty life and the only way he was able to get any kind of education or mental stimulation considering the group he ran with.

He was kneeling inside a run down old shop, trying to decide which of the handful of books he’d found to take with him in the limited bag space he could afford without the others knowing when movement caught his eye through the dirty window he was just beneath. The tall young man carefully eased up to peer out one pane of glass, seeing that a young woman had just crept by and looked like she was doing her best to be stealthy, which either meant she was nearing walkers or other members of his group. He knew she was far better off facing a bunch of biters than Gordon or any of his buddies.

The tall dark haired man bolted up off the floor, forgetting his selection of treasures for the moment and sprinting out of the building as fast as he could while remaining silent. He slung his pack securely on his back and tugged up the black bandana he had around his neck up over his face till only his clear light brown eyes were visible, a prerequisite for going on runs required by Samuel, all his men were to keep their faces covered but he rarely obeyed this rule when not in front of the other guys.

He observed the young woman as he approached her from behind, his heart hammering faster as he noted that it was indeed Gordon and a few others she was sneaking up to. It was obvious that she was accustomed to being out here and fighting with the weapons she had, but it was equally obvious she had no idea what she was up against when she started drawing her weapon, apparently intending to jump them on her own.

Jack jolted when he saw her reach for her gun, his hand darting out to stop her and she reacted far more quickly than he would’ve guessed her capable of, landing a solid hit to his gut with her elbow and drawing her weapon on him instead, which was for the best really so long as none of the others noticed them in this relatively exposed place in the alley. When she turned to face him Jack couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was, but also how… Clean she was. Clean and while she was slender and athletic she was clearly fairly well fed with the way her figure… Boasted a fair degree of curves.

He couldn’t focus on how she looked however, not with the imminent danger she was in without even realizing it, though Jack couldn’t help but wonder what she had been thinking, pulling her weapon on a group of four or five armed men when none of her supposed other men she spoke of were anywhere to be seen.

“Look will you just keep your fucking voice down?” Jack hissed, holding up his hands to show he meant her no harm, his attention divided between her angry blue stare and the group only a few yards away milling around shooting the shit instead of getting supplies like they were supposed to. Classic Gordon, let Jack do all the work then blame him for their small haul when they got back, and be an enthusiastic participant in the subsequent beat down he’d receive for it. “Trust me, unless you’ve got a whole army with you, you do not wanna mess with these guys okay? I promise you it won’t end well, especially not for you.” Jack half pleaded, half warned. She argued that he didn’t know her or what she was capable of, not to mention that she had plenty of people with her to handle him and the men in the street. 

“I don’t care if you’re lying about being with others to make me back off or whatever. You and anyone you’re with need to get outta here before they see you. I don’t know you but I know them. They won’t just kill you, they’ll do a lot worse.” Jack insisted, tugging his bandana down to show his face and hopefully get her to understand how serious he was about this. He’d seen what happened to women that his group found, and it made his stomach turn to think about it. He had to get her to leave while she still could.

“Please. Just get out of here as fast as you can, anything you think you might be able to get from them isn’t worth it. I’ll keep them busy.” Jack insisted, stepping around to her side since she seemed frozen in place, urging her to take a few steps back the way she had come. “Go.” He prompted, sighing in exasperation when she turned and tried to stay put, “Go!” He hissed a little louder, darting off and getting around the other men enough so that when he called out to Gordon they all looked away from the alley where the pretty stranger hid. 

Who was this guy to think he could tell her what to do and what she could and couldn’t handle? She had been trained most her life how to survive, all her life really since she could remember falling in that pit of walkers and losing her Uncle Rick in the fight… It drove her family to make her understand, it drove her to learn to take out any dangers she came upon. She refused to die, especially like that.

When his voice got louder, her eyes widened a little, about to argue when he took off at a run around to his apparent friends. She put her gun away and ducked around the wall again, trying to appear small so that she wouldn’t be seen. They must have been more than they looked because she could hear them arguing but couldn’t make out the words and the way that boy warned her not to take them on alone, even with a gun and back up. Why would he protect her at all?

She walked back to the store her father and brother were meant to be in, tucking her gun away and giving a little sigh. Willow went down the aisles that her dad had assigned Finn to, catching sight of her brother and startling him a bit when she nudged him softly. “Hey where’s Dad?” She asked, keeping her voice down little above a whisper.

Her twin gestured towards the camping section of the general store where very little remained at all, asking what was up. She shook her head, “There’s a group of guys outside. I think we should go. He said they could take us all out pretty easy and I don’t know… Part of me believes him.” She muttered almost without thinking.

“He who?” Finn arched a brow at his sister, packing his finds up and walking with her.

“Umm… I don’t know. Just—some guy. It doesn’t matter, he didn’t do anything except run off with his friends. But I still think we should leave.” Willow answered, distractedly scooping the place for their father. “Dad.” She called softly, grabbing his attention and meeting him halfway. “We should go. There’s a group of guys outside. Like six of them I think, I didn’t get a head count. I couldn’t get close enough.” She said.

Daryl’s gaze darkened a bit and she knew his instincts to protect were kicking in a little further as he walked to the front of the store. “Finn.” He said, whistling and the boy understood already, taking his opposite side and both of them half blockading Willow from any danger. She rolled her eyes at the simple posturing of both men, like she couldn’t at least fight by their sides. “Which way?” He asked his daughter.

Willow indicated with her thumb, “I think we should just go.” She muttered, “Dad we got what we needed it’s fine, let’s go.” She half insisted, something in her wanting to trust that boy. She spotted in another window a green backpack stained with blood. It had to be his and she darted over to grab it from inside the building. Daryl went to grab her but she was back before he could say anything, cursing lowly at her ‘running off like that’.

Her blue eyes darted up around the corner where she knew he went, her jaw dropping opened and she was about to bolt out when she felt sets of hands on her just like before only this time they were her dad’s and brother’s keeping her from running. “Don’t be stupid.” Finn muttered simply, half growling the words as he yanked her back around the corner.

“They’re beatin’ him.” Willow panted, eyes misty as she looked up at both men beside her. “Finn that’s the guy. We can’t let ‘em do that they’re gonna kill him!” She shouted at the pair, Finn’s hand coming up and over her mouth as she started to cry.

Daryl poked his head around the corner, “You guys keep quiet, watch out for each other. I’m gonna get close enough to shoot the big guy down.” He started, the boy beside him nodding his understanding while he kept Willow with him, slowly removing his hand from her face. Their dad took off at a bit of an awkward sideways run, hearing the faintest whistle from the first bolt he fired and the clunk of the body dropping down to the ground.

The death caused an uproar and the twins peeked around the wall to see their dad drawing the other’s away from the body of the boy. He was coughing and when Willow saw him spit blood even at this distance not even Finn could keep her from taking off towards him, still hauling his pack along with hers. She could hear Finn’s footsteps behind her, the sounds of a fight off in the distance to the left side of the street, far enough away now she felt safe enough to return the favor and hopefully save him too.

She got to her knees, nearly falling and putting her hand on his chest lightly. “Hey.” Willow muttered, “Hey! How many of you are there? We’ve dropped three or four so far.” She informed the only half-conscious boy, “I can’t really sit out here with you if you don’t promise that my dad’s chasing the last ones. Do you hear me?” She kept on, her eyes darting around the opened space, worrying for all their safety and ignoring Finn’s words that they ought to leave him until Daryl gets back.

“Hey Gordon! Any a’ you dumb-asses find anything good yet? We haven’t got all day and Sammy won’t be happy if we come back empty handed!” Jack called, smiling grimly despite knowing what a grave mistake it was to speak to Gordon and his crew that way. As all the older men’s heads snapped over in his direction he hazarded a glance back at the alley he’d left the girl in, relieved that she was no longer in sight. He’d given her as much of a chance to get away as he could, not getting caught was up to her now.

Gordon barked at him harshly to come to him and he obediently jogged over, knowing it would be far worse for him if he didn’t comply. Jack bent and rested his hands on his knees, taking a few breaths and glancing up at the man who had bullied him since he was barely old enough to walk. 

He straightened up while the man started calling him every name in the book and a few more besides, questioning his sanity for mouthing off like he had. All his attention was focused on Jack, just how he wanted it. The longer he could keep these guys occupied the better chance the girl had at making a clean getaway.

Gordon told him to get down on his knees and Jack sighed, sniffing and wiping his nose with the back of his hand as he glanced around at the other men slowly closing in around him in a circle. “Yep kneeling got it.” He said to no one in particular, knowing he was about to be in a world of hurt but not giving his abusers the satisfaction of showing his fear or dismay. He sunk down to the asphalt, keeping his gaze fixed on Gordon’s stormy eyes knowing even that small passive resistance would only get him beat harder but doing it anyway to keep the man and by extension all the others as well focused on him.

He kept staring at Gordon with a little half-cocked smirk till he folded in half as the first blow landed, a solid kick across his ribs from a man at his three o’clock. Jack coughed and hit the road, gasping like a fish out of water as his system reeled from having the wind knocked soundly out of him. That hit was like the starting shot fired at a race, and all six of the men around him began laying into him with vicious kicks and stomps. 

Jack had been through this enough times to know how to best weather it, curling himself into as tight a ball as possible and doing everything he could not to scream in agony. God forbid he be too loud and attract geeks, if his cries of pain lured any biters they’d simply leave him to them. The blows kept raining down on him and a good kick to his head made the world shut off for a few seconds. He was fairly sure that they wouldn’t beat him to death over his comment, but then again without Samuel around who knew? He beat Jack plenty of times himself, but at least the young man was fairly sure their leader wouldn’t kill him outright. 

The young man lost all perspective on time passing, they could’ve been beating him for minutes or hours it didn’t really matter, all he knew was he hurt everywhere and holding onto consciousness was becoming a losing battle. It occurred to him that even if they didn’t beat him to death literally, leaving him passed out and drooling blood on the road was the next best thing. He’d just have to hope that Gordon’s fear of Samuel’s wrath was stronger than his inclination to leave Jack here to be finished off by walkers if he couldn’t walk home himself, and that conclusion was becoming more and more likely with every blow.

All the sudden the beating stopped, and he became dimly aware that he wasn’t the only sucker lying on the pavement. Barney, an especially foul member of Gordon’s band was sprawled face down beside him ass to the sky, a neon green fletched arrow protruding out of his head. Jack’s eye that wasn’t swollen shut from being kicked widened in alarm, but he blacked out in the next second.

When he woke again his surrounds had changed, Gordon and all his men were gone though he could hear them shouting in the distance. There was someone hovering over him still, he just couldn’t make his eye focus enough to make out who it was. Her voice gave him the clue he needed however, the sudden light pressure she put on his chest making him wheeze painfully. It was the girl from earlier, she hadn’t gotten away like he wanted and for all he knew she was either saving him or every bit as screwed as he was once Gordon came back.

“There’s… Nine here.” Jack croaked, every breath a struggle. She was going on about her dad or something, his hearing wasn’t working how it should, or maybe it was just his overall awareness that was fading in and out thanks to the blows he’d taken to the head. He noticed another figure standing above them, holding a… Was the guy seriously holding a sword in his hands? Jack chuckled at the strange image because he didn’t know what else to do with that information.

He was lying utterly helpless on the ground bleeding and broken, so much walker fodder. And to add insult to injury the whole reason he’d let this happen to himself was kneeling over him poking at his wounds instead of safely away from this place like he’d wanted.

“Gotta… Get away. Get…” Jack groaned, raising his arm and brushing her hand away from the swollen bruised flesh around his eye socket. “They’ll be back. Go.” He coughed, his voice dwindling and he blacked out again, not catching what the girl started saying to him in response.

“Don’t be stupid.” Willow muttered, “We’re getting you out of here because if we don’t you’ll be torn to pieces one way or another.” She said, watching his good eye flutter close as he blacked out once again. She looked up at Finn, “We’ve gotta move ‘im. He’s not safe sittin’ out here.” She put the bloody cloth in her back pocket and shifted the bags on her shoulders to better secure them.

“Help me.” She requested, not missing the look he gave her. Finn didn’t move, didn’t say anything just watched her start to try and right the boy in front of her. “Finn Matthew Friggin’ Dixon, help me move him!” She shouted at him, stopping and turning at the sound of footsteps. The brunette grabbed at the butt of her gun instead until she recognized the bloodied figure trotting towards them.

\----

Somehow… She didn’t know how, but somehow she convinced both men in her life to take the injured boy back in the truck to their location to get him cleaned up. Willow looked over her shoulder seeing Finn sitting as still as ever, cleaning his katana. She rolled her eyes, glancing back at her dad in the seat beside her, “I still don’t get why Finn gets to sit back there to watch him. He was protectin’ me anyways. You do remember that Finn and I are twins right? As in the same age, same capabilities.”

The trio drove for a good while before Finn heard the stranger waking up, glancing down at him lying in the bed of the truck next to him. His good eye darted up to see what he was doing, the stranger commenting on his sword but Finn kept silent for a long while until he was finished cleaning it. “Keep your eye closed. If you can’t I’ll blindfold you for the safety of our group.” He said, not knowing if this kid was going to run off and tell his other band of brothers or something about the place they lived.

It was dark by the time they got back to their homestead and the battered man beside Finn had passed out again, staying that way while they unloaded him and took him to an empty bed. They didn’t trust him at all yet to leave him unguarded, the task to which Finn took very seriously and volunteered to watch over him that night.

“Think he’ll be okay?” Willow asked her mother, standing at the foot of the bed and feeling her brother’s eyes on them while Beth responded. She sounded uncertain with his condition but Willow on the other hand was more positive about things like this. She leaned down, aiding her mother in cleaning the last of the boys wounds. “Dad doesn’t believe that he protected me I don’t think… I think he believes that I got us involved in a problem that wasn’t ours but he really did. I ran into him and I saw those guys and I was gonna take ‘em out but he warned me they weren’t the type to approach and he made me leave, coaxed them—coaxed them into doin’ this to him.” She muttered.

Beth wasn’t really sure what to make of the battered unconscious young man that Daryl and the twins had brought back with them, Willow of course the most vocal of the three and firmly set as the stranger’s advocate. Her lover seemed skeptical of the boy and she tended to trust the tracker’s judgement, but the fact that he’d conceded to bringing him back at all meant that he was at least willing to give the guy a shot.

It was clear that no matter for what reason he’d been terribly beaten, Beth and Carol looked him over and got to work treating his wounds as best they could with Willow hovering anxiously nearby as well as a varied audience coming to satisfy their curiosity about the newcomer poking their heads in the door. Daryl and Finn kept them at bay for the most part but still there were more than a few comments made about how the young man looked a lot closer to death than life and Beth couldn’t exactly disagree.

“I’m not sure babydoll, we’ve just gotta give it time and see. Doesn’t feel like any of his ribs are actually broken, but there could be a whole mess of internal damage we just have no way of knowin’. His color’s not very good, I just hope he’s not bleeding internally, there’s really nothin’ we can do for him in that case.” Beth responded to her daughter, not wanting to upset her further but not wanting to give her false hope either.

The girl seemed dead set on convincing her that this boy was worthy of being given a spot in their group, but this was the first she’d mentioned that he’d actually gotten this beating directly from trying to keep her safe. Beth looked from Willow down to the stranger’s beat up slumbering face, her heart going out to him if he’d really thrown himself in the fire for her little girl, especially without even knowing her. 

Both Daryl and Finn seemed less than enthusiastic about him being here, but she knew her daughter and the girl wouldn’t just make something like that up. She had no doubt that if Willow said this young man had saved her from ending up in the condition he was in now or worse it was true, and that alone motivated Beth to get him all healed up to show her thanks. But just because he’d done one good thing for their family, didn’t guarantee that they ought to let him stay here. 

“Well I think that was either very brave or very stupid of him.” Beth commented with a warm smile, gently patting a cool cloth to the young man’s swollen face, “Either way, I’m grateful to him.” She added, looking at Willow and the women exchanged a small smile.

Jack groaned painfully as he slowly came back to awareness, his eye that wasn’t swollen shut still not wanting to open more than a crack with how tired and strained he was. He raised his arm to wipe his eye and winced at the motion, jumping when he heard a female voice telling him to take it easy.

“What? Where am I?” Jack slurred, the face hovering over him slowly coming into focus and he saw a strange blonde woman with bright blue eyes that instantly reminded him of the girl he’d tried to save earlier that day… Or week depending on how long he’d been out really he had no idea. As far as he could tell he was safe for the moment, but that didn’t really matter to him.

“Where is she? Is she safe, do you have her?” He asked, his voice hoarse and strained but not lacking any urgency. All he cared about was if the girl had made it out alive or not.

 

Willow was sitting propped on the little foot stool her mom had offered her, not seeming to fond of her lingering but seeming to understand her need to make sure he was doing well enough. She had left all but ten minutes to clean up as per her brother’s request, chewing on her nails now that they were clean. She felt tired herself but not enough to sleep quite yet, wanting to see if he roused again.

She was drifting in and out with her head lulled back against the wall, watching her mother tend to the boy when she heard his voice, asking where he was and then where she was. Willow thought for a second, was she that ‘she’? Was he seriously concerned about her over himself right now? Her mom’s gaze flickered from him to her and Willow actually indicated to herself in question to her mother as she nodded for him to look.

The young man’s gaze went to the corner of the room and Willow smiled, sitting up straighter and wriggling her fingers in a little wave to him when he looked at her. “She has a name. Willow.” Willow said, getting up so he could see her better in the growing darkness of the room. “I told you that but I guess I can’t really hold it against you when you’ve been in and out of consciousness for… a few hours.” She laughed.

“Are you gonna stay with us for longer than five seconds this time?” She teased softly, looking from her mom to him again and smiling. “I’m safe. And so are you. We had to take out most your men… it was the only way we could get them to stop without riskin’ ourselves too much. My brother Finn and I kept outta sight, dad did most the work.” She explained.

“My mom and I were just trying to decide if you were stupid or brave for this.” The brunette laughed, crossing her arms over her chest for warmth. “I think your stupidity makes you do brave things. Like… you’re impulsive but it works out for you mostly doesn’t it?” She asked, helping her mother get him to sit upright enough that he could actually take the meds they needed him to. “It’s just Ibuprofen for now, Maggie’s lookin’ for the stronger stuff.”

“How’re you feelin’, Hero?” Willow asked, looking over his shirtless frame though a good part of him was wrapped in bandages. She bit her lip, “Or Jack—You told Finn that. I’m guessin’ it’s your name?”

“Um, yeah Jack’s my name. Jack O’Brien.” He stammered, trying to process all the drastic changes that had just happened in his life all at once, made more difficult from having his bell rung a few times. The girl- Willow, he now knew, sat on the edge of the bed and watched with eyes full of concern as he swallowed the pills the older woman gave him and sighed from the sheer relief of having something cool and wet running down his parched throat.

“I think I feel about as good as I look.” He made an attempt at humor to hide his growing anxiety with his current situation, feeling how swollen, cut up and bruised his face was without needing to see it. His comment earned a soft laugh from both women but he still couldn’t help but feel tense. He was alone and hurt in a place he had no idea the location of relative to his old camp, had no idea who of his old group might be dead or if word got back to Samuel somehow if they would look for them for vengeance or not.

The blonde woman patted his face with a damp cloth and the coolness soothed him somewhat, her kind voice telling him to relax making his gut twist up at the sudden sense of familiarity he felt towards her. She might not resemble his own mother physically but he couldn’t help but see his mom’s own loving nature in this woman.

His light brown eyes flickered between both women and he was sure of it now, they had to be mother and daughter even with different hair color the resemblance was too strong. And Willow had mentioned another woman, her father and brother now, which made him guess this had to be their home but he worried about how safe they really were, and more specifically how safe he really was here as an outsider.

“Where is this place? Is it far from the town we were in? If any of Gordon’s men got away from your dad they might track us, might go for reinforcements-” Jack began speaking in a rush but his voice shattered into a cough and that jarred his battered rib cage, making his eyes twist shut and his world narrow to trying to force a breath of air into his lungs despite the added pain it caused.

“Whoa easy! Easy.” Beth cooed, cupping the back of the young man’s neck and tipping his head back a bit to help open his airway more, giving him a little more water once he managed to take a shaky breath or two. “We’re hours away from where you were, don’t worry. As long as you’re under our roof you’re safe with us, provided you don’t give us a reason to mistrust you, do you understand?” She tried to reassure him, her tone gentle but holding a note of warning.

Jack nodded, sputtering a bit more trying to breathe evenly and the room started to spin a bit again. He opened his mouth to speak but little more than a gurgle escaped his lips before he was out again, the last thing he heard was the older woman cursing and telling Willow to fetch someone named Carol for her. How many people did they have here anyway?

The boy was having trouble breathing on his own, Beth had Carol bring their laryngoscope and breathing tube, quickly getting it inserted and squeezing the plastic bag rhythmically to keep him in the land of the living. Willow was frantic beside her, jostling them both trying to get closer and questioning his condition, “Finn! Can you come take your sister out please.” Beth called for her son who she knew was standing just outside the door. 

Willow pushed at Carol a bit, her eyes welling up out of worry for the young man though she hardly knew a single thing about him except his first and last name now. Her heart was racing a thousand beats a minute and it made her want to offer the same to him. She didn’t want his heart to stop or his breathing to stop nor to even be difficult for him.

Her mind flooded with thoughts about what her mom said about possible internal bleeding. Maybe he did have a broken rib and now a punctured lung or something. “Why’s he breathin’ like that? What’s the matter with him?” She demanded, trying to keep her watery eyes from spilling over completely with tears. She might be more sympathetic like her mother even for strangers but she was stubborn like her father, refusing to let everyone know just how much she wanted him to live. She owed him that much at least.

Finn heard his mother’s plea for assistance with his twin, moving from the doorway and seeing the commotion that was happening within the room. He wandered over to his sister and wrapped an arm around her slender frame, tugging her back with him though she was fighting just enough to make it more difficult than it needed to be. “Why won’t you answer?” She hissed at her mom and Carol, growing angry towards the two for ignoring her questions. “I won’t forgive you if you let him die!” She yelled, finally letting up on her fight when Finn growled at her to shut up and get out. At the oddest times her brother was her voice of reason.

“Get off me, Jackass!” She grunted at her twin brother, shoving his hand from around her when they got a ways down the hall outside the room. He wandered back to close the door so she couldn’t see anything but she could hear his struggle. Willow took the chance to wipe her eyes and hide the fact that she was getting overly distressed about the situation. It wasn’t like he even meant anything to her she just felt a sense of obligation to be his savior too. “God, what the hell is wrong with our family? He’s one guy and he’s not gonna do a thing in his condition.” She grumbled, pulling back from Finn trying to touch her arm. “Touch me and I’ll seriously knock your damn teeth in Finn Dixon.” She warned, huffing and storming off to go outside.

Willow didn’t know what she was doing except trying to pass time a bit until she got word that he was alive or dead. Maybe if she didn’t think about it so much then it wouldn’t matter what the verdict was anymore. She could hear her father’s foot falls behind her and she didn’t even turn when he joined her on her walk out to the trenches to do some clean-up and a perimeter check. Usually she did them with Finn or someone else for back up. “He ain’t done shit to us and y’all ‘re treatin’ him like he has. I know Maggie’s not even lookin’ for somethin’ else to give him. ‘Cause you told her not to, I know yah did. You told her it was better to keep him down for the count in case he turns on us. I know you, Daddy.” She muttered, her voice angry at first then getting steadily lower the more she spoke.

Daryl nodded, “Yeah yah do. Told her not to waste the good stuff on someone we don’t know. He mighta got caught up in that shit to survive or he mighta known you’d come to his aide but he just didn’t know how good of a shot I am. There could be more, for all we know. I’m bein’ prepared, Will.” He explained in a serious tone, only pissing her off further.

“I know. I got it okay?” She huffed, walking faster and getting away from him, pleased when he stopped trying to keep up with her and went his own way. The brunette sat out on the porch after a while, digging at the dirt with her heel of her boot until someone came out to let her know what was going on sense apparently she couldn’t be trusted to help anymore.

“Hey, this seat taken?” Carl asked softly when he wandered out onto the porch looking for the girl he considered a younger cousin despite not having any blood between them. Willow glanced at him over her shoulder and shrugged, he took that as enough of a cue that he could join her. She immediately asked if the newcomer Jack was awake or if Carl had been the one who drew the ‘short-straw’ to come and tell her he had died.

“Sounds like you care a lot about what happens to him.” Carl commented instead of answering her question directly, the tiniest smile playing at his lips when the girl immediately flushed at his words and went on the defensive, asking why she shouldn’t care if someone died under their roof. He hadn’t been at the house when they’d brought the man in, busy clearing the trenches at the time but he felt like he had an idea why she might be so concerned. 

“I heard from Daryl that you’re sayin’ you think he saved your life?” The younger Grimes male asked, still not answering her directly but she didn’t seem to expect anything less, again snapping back at him that she didn’t just think it, that’s what had happened and now Jack was barely clinging to life upstairs because of her. Carl knew he’d hit the nail on the head then, nodding slowly and turning to look out over their plentiful gardens.

“You know, if he does die… It’s not your fault Will. He made his own choice, and for the record, I think it was the right one. There’s too few people in this world that give a damn for another soul anymore, so that earns him some points with me at least.” Carl knew his younger cousin had always blamed herself for his father’s death, and he couldn’t help but suspect that part of why she was so worried about this stranger now was because she was feeling the same sense of responsibility. He didn’t want her to carry that burden, about his father or this young man.

When Rick was killed, everyone in their little family automatically looked to Carl to take over his leadership role, despite being younger and his own insistence that Daryl or Glenn ought to assume that role. They all agreed to make decisions as a group, but still when push came to shove it was usually Carl who made the final call. As he got older he got more comfortable with it, tried to be as good a leader as his father though he doubted he could ever fill the man’s shoes. The decision to let the young man stay or not wasn’t fully in his hands, but he hoped that Willow would be comforted somewhat by knowing that he at least wanted to give Jack a chance.

Willow appreciated her cousins words but that didn't mean she entirely agreed with him that it wasn't her fault. Had she stayed put like her dad told her to that boy never would have needed to do that. "Still... if he's gonna die why make it into something so stressful? He was looking for me. I should be in there." She muttered, letting Carl tug her over to lean on him.

She sighed when it was time for dinner, happy to hear that Jack was more stable but it sounded like no one thought he might last. After she ate and cleaned up she went to her room for show at least. The brunette waited all of an hour before hearing Finn snoring outside Jacks door.

She smiled and got a blanket to haul with her, going down the haul and climbing over her twin to get to Jacks door. She slipped in and silently pulled it shut behind her, going to the stool by his bed and sitting down to watch him rest. "Are you sleeping or passed out passed out?" She asked as if he might answer.

She waited and when he shifted a bit she knew he was sleeping and she also knew her mother would be checking on him periodically. Willow moved closer and reached for the damp cloth, dipping it in the water bowl again and wringing it out. She wiped it across his forehead gently and around his eye and mouth. "You're about as dumb as they get huh?" She laughed, seeing his eye fly opened.

He looked at her directly and she blinked, "Sorry. I was tryin not to wake you." She said, "Did you hear what I said?" She smiled, laughing when he said he had. "Good."

Willow stopped cleaning him for the moment, tugging her blanket around her shoulders for warmth. "Don't tell nobody I'm here. I just wanted to thank yah cuz I know what you did for me." She muttered, "I also wanted to come by and tell yah that you're not allowed to die."

Sleep came and went for Jack, pain and exhaustion playing a merciless game of tug of war with his consciousness. He had no way of telling time other than seeing when it turned from day to night, but several times the older blonde woman who introduced herself as Beth came in to change his bandages, give him water and occasionally some medicine that didn’t do much more than give him a stomach ache but he appreciated it anyway.

During the time he was awake and alone in his borrowed bed, he stared up at the ceiling through the one eye that was doing him any good at the moment and pondered his current situation. He had been nearly positive that Gordon and his thugs were going to beat him to death, or if not that then simply leave him to die once they were done with him and that would’ve been that. 

He never once thought that the girl he’d tried to spare would not only come back for him but then convince her family to bring him back to their home, a perfect stranger in a dangerous world that they had no reason to take in let alone give their supplies and care to. Jack wondered about the place he was in, what kind of people in Willow’s group really were. 

And then there was Willow herself to think about. The instant he’d seen her through that window, all that mattered to him had been keeping her from becoming another one of Gordon’s victims. Hell he’d dashed out knowingly to his death to prevent it from happening. Why? It wasn’t like she was the first. He’d always felt like shit hearing and seeing the abuse that other people had suffered at Gordon and the other’s hands, always wanted to act, but he’d always been too afraid in the past. 

At first he’d just been afraid of what Samuel or one of the others might do to his mother if he acted out too much, and he could tell himself that his inaction was simply the price he had to pay to protect her, but once she died… He’d just been afraid for himself. Afraid of being killed outright, of being whipped and burned and beaten again like he’d been right after his mother passed, even worse of being banished and left to die miserably on his own either from starvation or being caught by biters.

But for some reason when he saw Willow… He wasn’t afraid anymore. He didn’t give a damn about the consequences to himself, all he cared about was keeping her safe, and he hardly knew her. It was enough to make his head spin, though it would’ve been spinning anyway really since he more than likely had a pretty good concussion.

He slid back into sleep after a while, and again he had no concept of time but it seemed like he’d only just drifted off when a quiet female voice roused him. Jack had trained himself from childhood not to react immediately when he woke up, sometimes when the other men thought he was asleep or passed out from getting beat they didn’t bother with him. Sometimes. Either way he remained perfectly still, his breathing even so as not to give any clue he was awake even when she started gently soothing his wounded swollen flesh with a cool cloth.

He listened to what Willow was saying to him, knowing it was her by her voice alone without opening his eyes. But when she called him dumb he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his face from twitching not to smile, so he gave up the act and opened his eye, confessing he’d heard her. He could barely make her out in the darkness but she still struck him with her beauty, he’d almost forgotten that anything beautiful and good could exist in the world.

Willow told him in a more serious tone that he wasn’t allowed to die, and Jack grinned crookedly at that. “I’ll try my best.” He responded quietly, groaning painfully as he pushed himself up a bit further on the pillows he was propped against, “Would you mind handing me that water?” He asked, accepting the glass from her and taking a few sips. She set the glass back on the bedside table and again he was amazed that he had suddenly found himself in a place that had real beds, water in actual clean glasses.

“So, what’s the word on me then if I do manage to survive my own stupidity?” He asked with a little chuckle, but the young woman seemed hesitant to answer. Either she didn’t know herself, or maybe she didn’t like the verdict he couldn’t tell. “If your people don’t want me here, I understand. You’re already putting yourselves out enough for me now, I can be on my way after a couple days of rest I’m sure.” He assured her, though really that was just a lot of big talk, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to do much more than sit up in bed on his own after only a couple days.

"I won't let em do that. You don't deserve that." Willow said, fidgeting a bit as she looked at him. She went and sat on his bed, laughing when he asked how she knew. "Cuz there ain't a bad guy that'd save a stupid girl like me." She responded with a shrug.

Jack scoffed and told her she wasn't stupid, "How doyou know? " She asked, chuckling softly when he answered in a similar way that she had in regards to him being a good guy. "You're ridiculous Jack O'Brien." She shook her head at him.

She shifted to sit closer and took his hand washing his palms and forearm. "Mom forgets as a nurse hygiene is important too." She told him, working up to his neck. "You ain't even got a single ddefensive wound Jack." She muttered, voice soft as she glanced up to meet his eyes.

"They did that just to do that huh? For kicks?" She asked, finishing with his collarboNE before putting the rag aside. "My daddy ain't too fond of keeping you but... mama is. And Carl. Carl's got the biggest say really. Jack I promise I won't let them run you off. Owe yah so much more than that."

Jack smiled at her words, patting her hand where it rested on the bed next to him. “That’s really nice of you Willow, but really it’s not a problem. I know it’s hard enough to get by without adding strangers to the mix. I won’t stay if it’s gonna cause a problem with your family.” Jack responded, sighing as he thought of the stark contrast between the way he’d grown up and the way she apparently had, in a loving family with a fair measure of safety. He didn’t want to do anything to disrupt the relatively good life she seemed to have here.

“Listen, those guys who did this to me… They aren’t human really. Nastier monsters than the walkers if you ask me, but I always figured you had to be that way in order to survive in this world. I always wanted there to be a better way, but I never thought I’d catch a glimpse of it. Just knowing that there are actually people out here who live well, treat each other well… That’s enough for me.” Jack told her softly, meaning it sincerely. 

Jack had never fit in with his group, they always ragged on him for thinking too much, reading too much, questioning everything. He wondered how different his life might have been if he and his mother had been found by these people after his father died, rather than Samuel and his gang.

To his surprise Willow got tears in her eyes as she insisted that he was wrong, that wasn’t nearly enough and that he had to stay here with her. His good eye opened wide with surprise, glancing down and they both realized in the same moment that they had been clutching the other’s hand, awkwardly breaking contact though really Jack would’ve been happy to keep touching her.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you get upset.” He said in as soothing a tone as he could manage. Willow started speaking again but he could tell he was losing the fight to stay conscious again, hit by a sudden wave of dizziness and the girl’s voice sounded like she was speaking underwater, he couldn’t make out her words.

“Willow? I think…” He started, I’m going to pass out. He thought in his head as his head lolled forward on his chest and that was the last glimpse of reality he got until it was light again outside his window.

Jack it's not enough. No matter what you say it's just not." She kept insisting wanting more than anything to take his hand again, to curl up with him. Why on earth did she feel such a strongconnection to a man she only just met. "It's so borin' here. I know it ain't a good argument... but please." She muttered. 

Tears spilled past willows long dark lashes, avoiding his gaze mostly because she felt silly for reacting this way. She hated letting people see her cry or even know she had been crying. She sniffled to try and get it to pass, looking over and seeing Jacks head droop.

"Jack?" She began, sitting closer to him on her knees. "Jack?!" She whispered more firmly this time, cupping his face in one hand and taking his fingers with the other. Willow took a shaky breath and cried as she half held him, pleading with him to stay, though she no longer knew why. "Please. Please stay with me. You have to."

Willow didn't linger much longer, sneaking out to go fetch her mother and while the woman seemed suspicious of the fact that she knew jack had passed out, she didn't bring it up. She ran her daily chores and went out with Finn for a while mostly because she was tired of seeing him outside Jacks door anyhow.

On the third night she had finally visited him alone again, chewing her lip and slipping inside. He was awake this time and part of hher wondered if he had waited for her last night. "Hi." She whispered, shivering a bit from the cold. She tucked her long hair aside behind her ear, blue eyes casting up to his face.

"You been up and around?" Willow asked, lickingher lips and sitting on his bed. "Mom said it might be good to get the blood flowin a little more." She muttered, not sure what to talk about with him.

She was quiet for a long while, shifting closer and pulling her blanket down a bit. "So umm-- I was thinkin'... wonderin' more so if I could convince yah to stay." She mumbled, flashing a bit of skin to him.

Jack didn’t see Willow the day after he passed out mid-sentence on her, and the following night he found himself torn between hoping she’d sneak in to see him again and hoping she stayed away. He wanted to see her, really badly as a matter of fact but at the same time she’d mentioned her dad not being happy about his presence here and he didn’t want to invite the wrath of a man who was evidently capable of killing Gordon and six or seven of his gang all on his own.

The day after that his other caretaker besides Beth, a gray-haired woman named Carol had him get up and walk around some, taking an impromptu tour of the plantation while most of the other residents were out working in the expansive fields he saw out the window. Jack saw Willow working outside a couple times, her pretty brunette hair braided down her back and the sun kissing her peachy skin. He was quickly shuffled away from the windows each time he paused to look by Carol, who seemed to know exactly what it was he was being distracted by.

She was nice enough, answered a lot of his questions about their place and group, and it was certainly a relief to be babysat by the woman rather than Willow’s sour-faced brother Finn. But Jack couldn’t help but feel a little put off by the knife and gun perpetually strapped to the woman’s hip even inside the house. Just what was his standing here? Despite the medical treatment and unexpected kindness he received, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was a prisoner.

Daryl, Willow’s father, came in that evening and questioned him along with Carl, the man who apparently was their little family group’s head. It surprised Jack that the younger man was their leader, but it soon became obvious why after talking with or rather getting interrogated by both men. 

Jack had always been good at reading people and the boy was a natural leader. Daryl was clearly the stronger, more experienced man, but he had a certain wildness to him that made him more liable to lash out, react on instinct rather than stopping and thinking a situation out first. Carl wasn’t a lot older than Jack himself, but he had an air of restraint about him, a calm that let him see every side of an issue. 

They asked him about where he’d come from, the people he’d lived with before and whether or not he thought they had the skill or inclination to come sniffing around here looking for him. Jack explained he was sure they wouldn’t spend any extra effort trying to recover him, but they might just come hunting for blood for the fallen. Jack noticed Daryl’s expression change when Jack mentioned how he’d been subject to abuse his whole life, especially from the very man he’d been with when they met. It piqued Jack’s curiosity about the man, but he didn’t feel like he had any right to pry at this point.

The night after his little talk with Carl and Daryl, Jack was exhausted more mentally than physically, though he was still sore and tired from his injuries. Having to rehash his less than ideal upbringing wasn’t his idea of a good time, and he flopped gratefully on the bed in his borrowed space when they left him for the night. The young man fell asleep almost immediately despite it not even being supper time yet, not waking again till well into the middle of the night.

Jack’s thoughts turned to Willow again, wondering if her coming to him the other night was a one time deal. Maybe her mom had caught her, coming to check on him, he had no way of knowing since he’d passed out. The young man sighed, wishing he had a book to read or something to get his mind off the beautiful brunette. Daryl had made it very clear in their talk earlier that he didn’t want him here a minute longer than he needed to be, not wanting him to bring any trouble down on them. Jack didn’t have to be a genius to figure out that the older archer wouldn’t like him talking to his daughter, especially not alone in the middle of the night.

But only moments after he woke up, as if his thoughts summoned her Willow crept into his room for the second time. She spoke to him in a hesitant tone, sitting by him on his bed and he couldn’t help but notice as she shifted closer that she didn’t have a shirt on under the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders, just the straps of her bra on her smooth shoulders.

Jack’s face was still fairly bruised but he could at least open both eyes again and they widened when Willow let her impromptu robe of her blanket fall slowly to pool at her crooked elbows, revealing her full lovely chest to him barely contained in the pale beige bra she wore. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat had gone dry, and little more than a hoarse noise of confusion escaped his lips. He sat up and cleared his throat, making himself tear his eyes away from her all too tempting figure to meet her bright blue gaze.

“Willow no you- you don’t have to do that, c’mon.” He half soothed half chided, reaching out and tugging her blanket back up over her shoulders but his hands did linger on her a bit longer than was really necessary. His heart was racing madly in his chest and his sore ribs were complaining at him for breathing heavier but he couldn’t help it, she was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen. But that didn’t mean he would let her lower herself out of some sense of obligation she felt towards him though.

“I don’t think it’s really up to me if I stay or go honestly. You should’ve seen your dad’s face when he told me not to get too comfortable here, I think it literally took a year or two off my life.” Jack chuckled, wincing a bit from it but not losing the grin on his face despite the pain. “I wouldn’t dream of expecting you to… You know,” Jack murmured, looking her up and down now that she was covered up again. “It’s all right, you don’t owe me a thing, okay? We’re more than even, I promise.” He told her gently, patting her shoulder and leaning back into his pillows again trying to will his pounding heart to ease.

"What?" Willow whispered, her brow furrowing her brow at him when he tugged her blanket back up. She laughed, "No. That's unfair. You're not even sure I want it or don't."

She shifted closer, "Don't I get a say?" She asked him, her blanket falling down a bit again. She lightly put her hand on his chest, trying to get as close to him as he would allow. She reached out and took his hands, urging them up her sides to her breasts and humming as he instinctively fondle her full chest.

The brunette purred at his touch, "Because I really want you to touch me." She panted, getting more eager as his own breathing picked up. Willow heard him gulp as he touched her, gently pulling away.

"Jack." She whispered, "It's okay baby. Didn't you hear me?" She asked, leaning over him a bit and half gasping for air. Jack told her they couldn't, mostly because he wanted to live. "Well me too. Live to the fullest. Have fun... with me."

Willows lips brushed his, lightly kissing him, just enough to hope she could encourage him. "We'll go slow. Just kiss me."

 

Jack’s hands started squeezing and fondling Winter’s full breasts almost independently of any command his brain might try to give, though he was having a hard time forming a coherent thought with the lovely brunette in his space, her breath warm on his face and her body warm and soft in his hands.

If his heart had been pounding before it was hammering now, and it took all his willpower to remove his hands from her chest and pull back as far as he could from her tempting form which wasn’t much considering his back was already half propped against the headboard of his bed. Jack swallowed hard, an airy chuckling breath escaping him when she insisted that he touch her again.

“Willow, we can’t do this-” Jack sputtered, jumping a bit as if hit by a small electric shock when the young woman leaned further into his space, her face nearly colliding with his from their closeness, “I’d rather not get one of your dad’s arrows through my skull personally.” He snickered, trying to use humor to brush off his own desire that was building so quickly it was nearly painful. The tactic was less than effective, both for him and for Willow, his words barely slowing her advance much less stopping it.

The brunette closed the small remaining distance between them, brushing her petal soft lips against his and Jack had to grip onto the sheet at his sides to keep his hands from drawing back up and exploring her again. He didn’t respond to her light kiss at first, his eyes flickering rapidly back and forth between her own blue orbs. “Just… Kissing, right?” He whispered in a husky tone, justifying to himself that a few kisses would be innocent enough, not because he really believed that but more due to the fact that his self-control was nearly all eroded away.

Willow nodded, her full lips curling up in a little grin knowing that she’d gotten him to cave at least a little bit. Jack jolted a bit again when she leaned in and pressed her mouth to his more firmly, his eyes falling shut as he returned her kiss hesitantly at first. 

She was so soft, warm and sweet that his desire for her eclipsed his fear and self-consciousness, he tilted his head a bit for a better angle and started kissing her in earnest. He willfully forgot to keep his hands safely at his sides, reaching up to cup her head with both hands and feeling his want spike off the charts when a small pleading mewl escaped her throat.

Willow mewled when Jack finally responded how she wanted or at least close enough to it. Of course she was eager for more but nervous at the same time as she hooked her hands behind his head and instinctively her hips started rocking against nothing.

She finally let her eyes slip close as she relaxed at his touch, inching over until she could swing her leg over his hip. The brunette remained as careful as she could be, moaning with want and attempting to guide him further but the most she got was his hands on her chest or thighs. "Please." She whispered. 

Her eyes dark with desire, "God I'm soakin..." Willow panted against his lips, forcing his hand to her center and smirking when he finally realized she wasnt wearing pants or any sort of bottoms. She laughed a little making him feel just how wet for him she was.

She started rocking against his hand trying to tease him further but he was adamadamant about waiting for anything more. "It'd be so easy Jack." She whispered towards the shell of his ear, "I'm ready for all of you." She groaned, feeling his hands grab her hips to stop her from grinding any lower on him.

She heard his growl as her inner thigh brushed his front and it urged a shaky breath from her. "It's okay. I can just take care of you if you'd rather." She mumbled, chewing her lip and hooking a finger into his sweats until he snatched her wrist to stop her.

Jack was panting but reminded her no more, trying to get her off his lap. "But... so you won't even kiss me? Please I like it."

Jack was one hundred percent positive that he’d never wanted anything more in his life than he wanted Willow right now, and he knew what it felt like to starve, to nearly freeze to death, to feel nearly every kind of excruciating pain imaginable and yet this eclipsed any other basic human need he’d ever felt except perhaps the basic drive to survive. 

The young man groaned softly as Willow leaned into him, pleading for him to at least keep kissing her but he was already so wound up just from feeling how ready she was for him that Jack was sure he’d never be able to leave it at simply kissing if they started up again. He was actually grateful for the pain he was in at the moment, it was the only thing curbing him really and if he hadn’t been injured like he was he was fairly sure he would’ve tackled her to the bed by now.

“Trust me, I like it too… I really like it but I’m a tad bit busted up at the moment in case you hadn’t noticed,” He chuckled softly as he gestured to his still bruised and bandaged upper half, “And so I’m not really in any shape to do more than kissing. But if we keep kissing like that, I won’t be able to keep from trying to do more. Plus I don’t want you to rush into something you might end up regretting later.” Jack explained, some of the humor draining from his voice when he thought about how Willow might not be so keen on giving herself to him if she knew him better.

“Willow some of the things I’ve seen, some of the things I’ve done... You can’t imagine how awful they are, and I don’t want you to give away something so precious to a coward like me without full disclosure.” He insisted in a heavier tone when she started trying to argue with him again about her wanting him.

“I understand you might be a little I dunno… Sweet on me I guess-” Jack struggled to find the right words, “Because I sacrificed myself for you. But even if we weren’t already more than even on that score since you and your family turned around and saved me right back, it wouldn’t be right of me to take advantage when what I did for you was the only decent thing I ever did in my whole life.” He admitted, feeling shame gnawing at his insides. 

“You don’t understand,” He interrupted a bit harshly when she still insisted she knew he was a good person, “I might never have done the terrible things I watched Samuel, Gordon and their men did to women, children... But turning a blind eye and deaf ears to it was just as bad. I’ve killed people for next to nothing, scraps of food, a gallon of gasoline. Because I knew if I didn’t I’d catch a beating as bad as the one I got the other day and I liked my own sweet ass more than I disliked taking a stranger’s life.” 

“At first I did what they ordered to protect my mom, and I could sort of justify it, but…” Jack’s voice faltered with emotion, “After she died I just… I did it to save myself, because I was too afraid to leave them behind, try and make it on my own.” He pushed back as far from her as he could, unwilling to meet her eyes for fear that they’d be full of disdain, or worse of pity.

"No Jack I'm positive that it's you I want. Really." Willow kept insisting until Jack got a little harsher and while she wasn't scared at all he'd hurt her she felt a different sort of fear. Maybe he would constantly push her away, not just in bed but even in regards to staying here with them.

He argued against her words and continued on about what he had seen and done though he offered no details. She was sure she had an idea of some of them, her own group had killed for specific reasons or harmed. She understood that you did as you had to in order to survive. But his group lived for a kill or a fight and that much was clear.

She blinked back tears when he talked about his mother, suddenly becoming aware of her near nudity aND the mention of his family made her... remember her manners for some reason. "Jack I have trouble believing you wholly. I think you did what you needed to. Anyone would want to live no matter the cost." She said as he talked over her and argued further.

Willow hung her head at first but her eyes darted to the door soon. "Shh." She urged him, pinching his forearm to get his attention. "If you insist on screamin at me do it quietly cuz your babysitter ain't far off doofus." She said, making him cry in pain at her touch.

She glared at him and shrugged, "Well you weren't payin attention, too busy yappin." The brunette scolded, tears running down her cheeks but she had trained herself to keep her voice relatively even. She grabbed her blanket the further he scooted back. "I get it. Yah wanna right your wrongs and all that so that involves not fuckin your caretakers daughter." She muttered.

Willow got up and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Don't make yourself out to be a piece of shit. I think I'm smart enough to decide that Jack O’Brien." She said, voice soft and almost sympathetic towards him but at the same time she was upset at being denied what she wanted. "Piece of shit lies and stinks and you ain't done neither."

She leaned over him and pressed her lips to his slow and soft, fingers brushing through his thick hair at Jacks temple. "I hope tah God I'm not just your redemption but if I am I'd accept that." Willow breathed, "I'm so sorry about your mama."

Willow shocked Jack with her boldness though in the back of his mind he told himself he ought not to be surprised considering the girl had come to him with the express intent of bedding him, bold enough to put all her cards on the table in one attempt by showing up hardly clothed. She was clearly the type of girl who never did things half-way and he found the quality endearing if a bit intimidating at the moment considering the trouble she could land him in.

Her gentle sincere words about his mother tugged at his heart, and he smiled warmly up at her when she straightened up again from kissing him. “Thank you Willow. For… Everything. Trust me when I say I don’t think of you as some kind of redemption card from the life I lived before. All I want is the chance to know you, to be with you.” Jack admitted, knowing that he had no right to expect anything from her but wanting it nonetheless.

“I sort of forgot there were good people in this world after I lost my mom, and I definitely never thought I’d find anybody that wanted- I mean I never believed I would meet someone who makes me feel… What you make me feel. If that makes any sense at all.” Jack stammered, not quite sure how to articulate what he was feeling but hoping that he at least wasn’t shooting himself in the foot completely with his rambling.

Willow seemed a bit flustered by his words, grinning at him and making his stomach flip over with how beautiful her smile was. She assured him that he knew what he was trying to say. The brunette leaned a bit to gently pat his leg under the covers, wishing him good night and slipping back out of his room. Jack exhaled deeply the second the door shut behind her, his whole body relaxing in a rush from the tension brought on from his desire to have her and his worry that she’d end up coming to see giving herself to him as a huge mistake.

Jack slept fitfully for the rest of the night, his dreams filled with Willow and all the things he’d wanted to do with her, as if his subconscious mind was trying to punish him for denying his baser instincts what they desired.

Over the next week Jack focused on trying to get his strength back as he healed, doing as many exercises as he could alone in his room on top of Beth and Carol giving him small tasks to do since he wanted to push himself and get back in gear faster. He would be lying if he told himself he simply wanted to heal up and prove himself to the group here that he could contribute as a member rather than just drain their resources, honestly he wanted to get into better shape so he could… Get to know the youngest member of the Dixon family a little better. A lot better.

The pair spent a lot of time together talking while they worked in the garden and at other tasks in the day, and even more when Willow slipped into his room every night after his still faithful and grumpy watchdog Finn fell asleep. They kissed a few more times but he always put a stop to things going too far, but as his body healed, his resolve weakened.

Jack was still sore especially in his ribs at the beginning of his second week with Willow’s people, but his face was pretty much entirely healed up and all but the worst of his bruising was gone. He still had a dull ache in the back of his neck where it had been whipped back from the kick he took to his face, but he was actually fit enough to get some real work done and that pleased him more than he could express.

Jack was out in one of the expansive gardens, cutting a new furrow into the soil behind the already tall rows of corn that would be ready to harvest soon. They would plant some root vegetables in his new section of garden, and it encouraged him that now that he was in better shape they had put him to work like this rather than running him off despite the exclusively dirty looks he still got from Willow’s father Daryl.

Finn was propped up against the side of the barn a few yards away watching him work, absorbed in sketching on his little pad but making no pretenses about what he was doing with his sword and crossbow leaned up on the wall next to him. The young man refused to back down an inch with Jack, ignoring his many attempts at striking up conversation and simply sticking to his self appointed guard duty while Jack worked.

A loud female voice made both teens look up, and Jack couldn’t repress a wide grin when he saw Willow coming towards them with the water bucket. A cold drink was just what he needed working like he was, and seeing the brunette was a refresher in and of itself. When the girl locked eyes with him she smiled brightly, but it bent when she turned and saw her brother and realized what he was doing. 

She immediately called Finn out, accusing him of using guard duty as an excuse to get out of working which he vehemently denied. The pair argued back and forth a bit and Jack barely managed to suppress his laughter at the scene, knowing that would only get him in more trouble. Finally Willow told her twin that their dad wanted him to help Tyrese and him rebuild their chicken coop, chasing him from his post with a fury that Jack secretly hoped she never turned on him.

“Chicken coop huh? Do you think they could use my help, I’m actually really good with-” Jack started when she approached him, cut off abruptly by the girl gripping his sweaty shirt and yanking him down to seal their mouths together. He jolted and mumbled against her lips at first caught completely off guard, barely recovered enough to start responding to her kiss when she broke it and whispered to him about how she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about last night. They had gone farther than they ever had before and it had been on his mind as well, but he still wasn’t exactly sure that them kissing like that out in the yard barely screened from view of the rest of the property by a few rows of corn was wisdom.

“Um- Yeah, it was… Nice, wasn’t it?” Jack panted haltingly, gripping her shoulders and taking a half step back, “Careful, I’m all sweaty and dirty. Don’t wanna get yourself all grimed up.” He advised with a smile, his chest heaving partly from the work he’d been doing and partly from the heat of their kiss.

Willow had been waiting almost all day to get a chance to run into Jack somewhere... convenient. She finally had the shot but her twin nearly ruined it for her until she finally managed to run him off with a threat or two. Jack started to speak but she barely allowed it, yanking him to her and kissing him deeply.

He was clearly caught off guard, urging her back and she could feel the tension in his strong frame. She smirked, "What do yah think all the waters for?" She asked, "Take your clothes off and it won't be so bad."

The brunette watched his Adams apple bob as he gulped at her words, seeming to be consideringif she meant that honestly or not. "Yes." She said before he could ask if she was serious. Willow stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing up against his broad frame. "I've gotten to know you. Enough that my choice should be considered."

She curled her fingers into his damp shirt, not at all minding the dirt and sweat on his frame. Her lips brushed his ear, "Jack I want you more than anythin. Think I made that more than clear last night." She whispered, nibbling his skin and making him shudder. "Sweat and all." She grinned, pulling back to look up at him.

Jacks breathing was ragged and his eyes were dark with lust but she could sense his apprehension. He made mention of where they were and she rolled her eyes, taking a rag and wiping his forehead and neck sweetly. "Frankly at the rate you're Makin me go I'd let you fuck me any place." She said.

"Sorry." Willow muttered, seeing the look on his face at how she phrased it. She heaved a sigh and leaned into him again, brushing his hair with her fingers affectionately. "You're just drivin me real crazy... please." She whispered, craning her head to seal their lips again, "Come to the barn with me baby." She breathed. 

 

“Wait I’m driving you crazy?” Jack laughed, his voice getting husky with want but he was still a little worried about giving in to her out in the barn in the middle of the day when anyone might come looking for them at any time. 

“Will, are you sure? I mean we could wait till tonight… Be somewhere a little more comfortable, a little less… Exposed?” He suggested haltingly, shuffling and stumbling his feet as Willow sighed in exasperation and tugged him forcefully along with one hand, carrying her bucket of water in the other.

Even with his injuries still not completely healed, Jack was confident he could physically force Willow to stop dragging him, insist that they wait at least for a safer time and venue but the truth was that his want for her was currently outweighing his common sense. He’d been craving her since the first night after they’d met pretty much, and the threat of the punishment he would face if they were caught was getting pushed farther towards the back of his mind with every step they took closer to the barn.

The tall young man glanced over his shoulder, the worry in his expression getting eclipsed by eagerness as he slipped through the narrow opening of the ajar barn doors, gently kicking them shut with his heel once he was inside.

The huge open building was fairly dark with the doors shut, but sunlight streamed in between nearly every wooden slat of the walls so everything was illuminated by thin ribbons of buttery light. The air was hot and a bit stale inside the barn, it felt especially oppressive to Jack who was already overheated from working out in the sun all morning.

Willow towed him further into the building, both of them breathing hard though it was only partly because of the stifling heat in the barn. She set down her bucket of water, turning to face him and they were magnetically drawn to each other, her hand skidding up his chest and his tracking to cradle the small of her back and the nape of her neck, their lips clashing hungrily.

Jack groaned deeply as the brunette pressed herself as firmly against his frame as she could, her nails digging into his shoulders as he plundered her mouth with his. She was already huffing and getting dewy with sweat herself, and when they broke apart to shudder for breath he tipped her head back to align their gazes.

“Willow, you’re sure this is what you want... In here? Now?” He asked through his labored breathing, his need for her flaring as she told him in no uncertain terms that she needed him, yanking at his sweaty shirt trying to tear it off of him and he quickly helped her, his heart going a thousand miles a minute and his eyes darkening with lust. They kissed deeply and he started to fidget with her own top, but she broke away and bent down out of his grasp, grabbing her water bucket and smiling at him playfully as she straightened.

Jack watched her raptly as she hung the metal handle of the vessel on an old iron horseshoe nail driven into the support beam she stood in front of, grabbing the rag out of the water and pressing it to the top of his shoulder. Rivulets of water ran icy trails over the heated skin of his chest and back, making Jack hiss through his teeth and his toned abdomen jump as water trickled over the ridges of his muscles. 

The brunette swiped the sopping rag over his sweaty frame a few times, leaning in to follow the path of her hand with searing, biting kisses over his chest and neck. Jack was panting raggedly now, standing stock still letting her do as she pleased, getting strangely cooled off and overheated at the same time.

Willow gave Jack a look when he half stopped her, or made the attempt at giving her an out. She could almost laugh at his insistence when she knew for certain he wanted more just as much as she did. “I need you Jack.” She said certainly, yanking at his shirt to get it off and pressing up against him firmly one more time as they kissed hungrily.

He groaned and hooked his fingers into her top, making her smile as she took a step back instead, nudging his hands away from her frame. The brunette moved back to grab the rag out of the bucket, reaching out and slowly wiping down his broad frame with a smile. She could hear his heart racing in his chest while she trailed kisses along the same path she made with the damp cloth. She worked her way down to his ribs and abdomen, tracing over the light showing bruises on his skin ever so gently.

Her hands didn’t stop their movements until she reached the top of his jeans, working them opened while she kissed his chest repeatedly and slowly she pushed his bottoms down off his hips. “You saw me next to naked…” She started to defend when he offered to undress her. “I want a minute.” She whispered, dropping the cloth and taking his hand to urge him to step out of his pants and shoes. She kicked her own boots off and looked him over, not missing the way his body was slowly responding to what she had just put him through and likely everything she had tried the last couple weeks.

“I don’t have anything to compare to but I don’t care… You’re damn sexy.” She hummed, taking his wrists once more and guiding them to her hips, hooking his thumbs under her top and encouraging him to take it off her now. Willow smiled as he got her undressed down to only her panties, her fingers currently behind her back, aiding him in working her bra off while his breathing remained ragged. “You sort of have to pinch it.” She murmured, smiling when he managed it and she let his hands go, pushing them forward and he slipped her bra off her front.

The brunette’s eyes watched his hands mostly, licking her lips as he got her more exposed than before and she couldn’t help but love the way his gaze locked on her breasts and his mouth popped opened just a bit, admiring her form. “Aren’t they nice?” She giggled, pushing her panties down off her hips and stepping out of them, now fully bare for him as she stepped forward into his space.

Jack was panting now, struggling to answer so rather than wait she stood on her toes and kissed him hungrily, hand hooked at the side of his neck, cocking her head just right to taste him fully while she guided his hands to each of her breasts. “I’m all yours. I don’t care where we are because we might not have a shot again for all we know.” She huffed, mewling as he started working each breast in his large hands. Willow hooked her leg around his hip, using his body for support to keep her standing as she ground against him bare. “Don’t make me say please.” She laughed.

 

Jack shuddered as Willow wrapped herself around his frame and started grinding her bare sex against his, grinning against her lips at her breathy words and kissing her again earnestly, well beyond the point of no return. He wanted her so badly now that it was worth risking any consequence.

“What if I like the sound of you saying please?” Jack teased, continuing to peruse her body with his hands and getting fully hard as he slid against her soaked center. Willow giggled lightly and gripped his face, trapping his gaze and mewling out the word through her labored breathing. He’d meant it as a joke but then hearing her plead for him actually did send a shiver down his spine and he growled in his throat as he kissed her again wildly.

Jack gently rotated their bodies as he kissed her, his lips wandering down her throat as he considered picking her up and bracing her against the wooden support beam. Deciding splinters would probably ruin the mood, he glanced at their surroundings and settled on a different option.

Jack slid his hands down Willow’s body and gripped her pert rear, easily lifting her up despite the lingering soreness in his frame and carrying her a few feet over to the large straw pile they kept stored in the barn for their pigs and goats to keep it dry. He set the brunette down and grabbed a couple of the slick rain ponchos they kept outside and gave each a quick shake, spreading them on the straw and glancing at his lover, hoping she approved of his impromptu bedding.

Willow giggled and stepped into the straw to the ponchos, settling down on them and he followed over top of her, the weight of their bodies making a little nest in the warm sweet grassy smelling hay. Jack captured her lips again and slid his hand down her curves, over her thigh to stroke her dripping center, groaning a bit in his throat as he felt how ready for him she was.

“Willow… Tell me if I hurt you, all right?” He whispered huskily, his own body on fire with need for her but still what mattered most to him was her comfort and pleasure. The brunette nodded, mewling as she bucked up against his hand and the young man was temporarily sidetracked, watching her face and relishing her sounds as he continued to work her with his hand.

Jack dipped his middle and ring fingers into her core and Willow cried out, her cheeks flushing deep crimson and her hands twisting into the smooth fabric they were lying on. She started rocking her hips into his motions and Jack curled his fingers up to stroke her more firmly, his jaw going slack and his breathing hitching as he watched her arch up suddenly and curse through a ragged moan.

“Right there? Is that what feels good baby?” Jack panted, his length twitching as she bucked and clamped around his fingers, wanting desperately to know what she felt like but he couldn’t bring himself to stop what he was doing when it was evoking such a strong response from her. Willow nodded tightly and pleaded with him not to stop, biting her lip and watching his hand pumping into her until her head lolled back and she cried out loudly on every exhalation.

Jack’s arousal was almost painful, it turned him on so much watching her writhe and hearing her cry out to him like this. “Are you gonna come for me baby? God you are so fucking hot…” He groaned, glancing down and using his thumb to brush back and forth over her clit as he stroked her, almost losing it himself when the beautiful girl beneath him went rigid and gasped audibly, shaking and whimpering as she shattered from his touch.

Willow moaned lowly as Jack worked her harder, his fingers deep within her and his thumb on her clit bringing her to the edge in a matter of minutes. She bucked up into his hand for more, desperately trying to get off as she listened to the sound of his voice. “Yes. Yes, Baby! Ahh… Fuck…” She cried, eyeing his hand before her head lulled back against their makeshift mattress. “Don’t stop. Jack—Ahh, please don’t stop.” She begged him, moaning and panting on every breath as he worked her.

She nodded at his question just barely managing even a whimper as her pleasure mounted and her walls fluttered around his fingers, coming hard for him. She drew her fingers through his hair, opening his eyes as she steadily came down but her body ached for more, tugging at him to kiss her. Jack withdrew his hand and she felt his slick digits run up her thigh to her side, guiding her leg around his hip and she eagerly followed his prompting. “Show me what else you can do.” She growled, her hand snaking between their bodies, guiding his tip to her center.

The brunette gasped as she rocked up onto him, feeling him slowly stretch and fill her completely, burying himself to the hilt within her. She bit her lip to suppress a cry of pain, shaking her head adamantly when he asked if she wanted him to stop. “I’m okay, Jack.” She promised, hooking her arms around his upper body and urging him close as her heels dug into his ass, “Fuck me.” She groaned against his ear, crying out in a broken voice as he started moving within her.

“Right there… Oh fuck—You feel so fuckin’ good, Hero.” Willow gasped, cupping his face in her hands and meeting his gaze, lips parted with sounds of pleasure escaping her on every thrust. She gently nudged at his chest while he was seemingly distracted, rolling their frames and lying over him to take over. She bounced in his lap, brushing her hair back over her shoulders to offer a full view of her entire body to him. “You fill me up so good, Jack…” She purred, her eyes slipping closed and her head lulling back again as she fluttered around him, her pleasure cresting and making her toes curl and her nails bite into his wrists at her hips.

She moaned for him, coming around him harshly and slumping forward until he caught her, feeling him thrusting up into her. Jack throbbed within her and warmth filled her up, her mouth dropping opened again, clinging to him. Willow laid over him as they finished and she hardly heard Jack mutter an apology. She blinked, sitting up a bit and realizing what he meant and she couldn’t help but giggle. “I know it’s bad… but I really like knowin’ I made you lose control.” She hummed, pulling him to kiss her deeply. “God you feel so good.” She giggled, trailing bites and kisses along his jaw to nibble his ear.

When Willow prompted him to shift positions rolling so she ended up astride him, what had started out as an amazingly good thing became an incredible thing. With her atop him Jack was free to devour every inch of her lovely body with his eyes, and giving her control took some of the pressure off him to make sure he was moving the right way or hitting the right spot, letting her figure it out for herself.

Jack gripped Willow’s shapely hips, helping keep her stable and adding his own strength to her motions as she bounced in his lap taking him to the hilt in her tight wet heat every time she sank down. The young man grunted and tensed all his muscles to keep from losing it too soon as she rode him, relishing her desperate sounds and ragged words of pleasure. 

He watched her eyes screw shut and felt her feminine muscles starting to clamp around him and he knew she was close, driving into her harder at the same angle she’d started with hoping to tip her over the edge. Jack’s mouth fell open in a silent groan as she came around him, barely managing to catch her as she slumped forward and continuing to drive into her furiously trying to draw out her orgasm as long as he could.

He thought he had another few seconds before he’d lose it himself, but his own release came upon him in a rush faster than he could react, his whole body jolting and his eyes rolling back in his head momentarily as he came surrounded by her heat, the slight weight of her body pressing into him and their sweat-slicked skin sliding together driving him to heights he’d never come remotely close to before.

He felt Willow quiver in his arms as they rode the last wave of their shared high, his insides churning and his face twisting with chagrin as the reality of what he’d just done swept back in on the heels of the euphoria that had drowned out any and all of his reason a moment before.

“Shit. Willow I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I was gonna pull out I swear, I-” Jack stammered through husky breaths, his eyes tracking her expression when she raised her head enough to meet his gaze for signs of anger or distress. He found none, in fact she seemed to feel quite the opposite of how he expected. Her words soothed him as far as her personal feelings on the matter, but Jack still felt badly for his lack of control and the risk he’d just opened them up to.

“Well I’m glad you approve…” Jack chuckled in spite of his worry, it was hard to hang on to his feelings of apprehension with her atop him and feathering biting kisses over his heated skin. “Still. I’ll be more careful next time I swear. That is… If you want there to be a next time?” Jack swore, his voice trailing up into a hopeful tone when he asked if this little tryst had been a one time deal. He definitely hoped not.

"Of course I want a next time." She half moaned, nibbling his neck and tugging his ear. "You are so sexy Jack." Willow panted, running her hands along his chest and starting to grind against him again.

Jack grasped her hips and tugged at her, muttering that he couldn't go again. "You're the one who asked." She stated flatly, gripping his pecs and staring at him in confusion. He shook his head, mentioning that he needed a little time to get going again.

"Oh. Right." She muttered, "Well... so what can I do because I'm really wet and you're dripping out of me." The brunette purred, brushing her hair back and chewing her lip while she waited for him to say something. He was still breathing heavy and swallowing hard as he eyed her, seeming uncertain himself.

She bent and kissed along his collarbone to his neck and beneath his ear. "What about kisses?" Willow asked in a low tone, licking up his neck. "Because you taste real good." She whispered airily, smirking when after a while she felt his body responding to her. "I feel like I should tell you what a good boy you are." She laughed, grinding down on him and until he was ready for her.

She sunk down onto his length abruptly for the second time, riding him harsher than before and working her clit in time with their thrusts. "I like when you just lie back for me." She panted, her head lulling back and again her pleasure built and crested, toes curling as she shattered and this time Jack managed control, coming between them and on his abdomen, watching Willow bend to lap up his seed.

They spent a good while curled up in the barn until it got late in the day. They parted ways and finished their tasks but by the end of the night she was ready to have him again.

Willow snuck outside and tugged the screen off Jacks window until he came to it. "Hi." She mouthed, waiting for him to open it for her and when he did he asked instantly why she was sneaking in his window. "Because I couldn't get past Finn. Snuck out my window to climb in yours." She smiled, stepping in in her pj shorts and pushing him back. "He won't hear us." She swore, lying him down on his mattress and tugging her shirt off.

She flipped her hair back and craned her head down to seal their lips together, tasting him slow and deep until he moaned for her. Willow grasped his hands and guided them over her sides up to her breasts. "Please." She prompted with a teasing smirk, knowing he liked her pleas.

She leaned into his touch and moaned, pressing her lips to his ear. "Please baby. One more and then we can curl up.... hmm? I'm already wet for you. I wanna ride you slow this time, savor my man." She whispered.   
Jack exhaled in a flabbergasted bluster as Willow hurriedly pushed him back towards his bed, his sleep addled mind struggling to play catch up as he switched gears from being in the middle of dreaming of Willow being in his bed to the reality of it happening and the subsequent reality of the dire consequences should they be caught.

She was already stretching out on his mussed sheets and tugging her top off when he finally managed to find his voice, hoarse from sleep, “Wait, you snuck out of your window? As in on the second third floor down to my window on the second floor?” Jack sputtered, his stomach clenching a bit imagining the likely fatal damage a fall from her window would do.

“Are you sure Finn won’t-” Jack started to stammer but then Willow’s lips were sealed to his and again his still waking mind lurched to respond, his body waking up far quicker and responding to her enthusiastic advance almost instantly. The young man groaned low in his throat as she kissed him feverishly, panting roughly for air when they broke apart and shuddering a bit at her hot breath on his ear when she told him what she wanted.

“You… Wanna savor me huh? Well I wanna savor you too gorgeous… All of you.” Jack panted, his eyes sweeping up and down her partially bare frame when she sat up straighter, his light brown eyes blackening with lust. The way he spoke made Willow pause and give him a curious look and he grinned crookedly.

“Would you... Let me try something? I promise you can ride me just like you want after.” Jack requested, his heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and nerves when the lovely brunette nodded, claiming he could do anything he wanted to her body and her words alone were enough to make his already hard arousal twitch.

“Take everything off baby.” Jack prompted gently, his hands sweeping idly over whatever creamy skin of hers was close enough as she shifted around a bit to remove her pj shorts and panties, smiling broadly as he admired her naked form in the moonlight coming through his still open window. “C’mere.” He breathed, gesturing at her with his fingers but keeping her from simply bending over him like she thought he wanted at first.

“No, climb up Willow, turn around and put your knees here.” Jack instructed, patting the mattress at either side of his head and helping guide her with his hands to get situated so she knelt directly over his face. He took a deep breath of her intoxicating scent, turning his head in to lightly kiss and nip along her inner thigh making her muscle jump under the skin and her breathing hitch.

Willow craned her head back as best she could, asking him breathlessly what he was doing and he smirked again as he tugged her to sit lower and craned his head up to lick and mouth at her slick petals. “I’m savoring my girl.” He answered in a huff, echoing her own sentiment from before. Jack used one hand to gently open her up more fully, delving his tongue into her and noisily licking and sucking at her center, greedily lapping up her sweet nectar as she shivered and jolted above him.

Willow hadn't known what to expect but she certainly didn't think she'd be as sensitive to him as she was. She gasped and moaned, joljolting above him as she rode his mouth and ground against his tongue. "Mmm. Jack." She hummed, running her hand along his abdomen and seeing his body responding to what he was doing to her.

She smirked, "You're a dirty boy, Jack." She purred, arching forward and kissing his happy trail making him jolt in response as she freed his length quickly. She kept the movement of her hips indicating for him to continue despite her shift as she licked a broad stripe along his shaft. He growled and the sound made her giggle and soon mewl at his attentions.

Willow took his tip in her mouth and slowly sunk down, relaxing her throat and hollowing her cheeks to suck him off. Her head bobbed quicker the more he moaned and his thighs tensed as she shook above him. Shedug her nails into his thighs, gasping around him as she found her peak and Jack thrust up into her.

She soaked his tongue and chin and he gently told her he was close. The brunette didn't let off, humming around him and opening her eyes wide as he came against her throat. She gagged a bit, pulling off and swallowing all she caught, his seed dripping down her chin as she shifted off him to sit beside him. He was staring opened mouth at her, panting heavily. 

"What?" She murmured sweetly, licking her fingers off as she scooped his come down into her mouth. Willow smiled, drawing her free hand over her chest. "I like how you taste. You have good ideas Hero." She hummed, cupping his face in her free hand and bending to kiss him languidly, letting him taste himself on her lips as she tasted herself.

She groaned, drawing her hand down from her breast to her core, teasing her clit and working herself rapidy. Willow gasped into his mouth and he pulled back to question if she was okay. She nodded and climbed over him, smiling as he spotted her hand. "Couldn't help myself." She murmured, licking along his neck to his ear. "You're just so sexy." She panted, fingering herself and clawing his shoulder with her opposite hand.

Jack’s eyes widened and the corner of his mouth tugged up as he noticed Willow playing with herself, sighing roughly as her teeth lightly scraped his jawline and she nibbled on his earlobe. He grinned wider at her words, shrugging his shoulder that she wasn’t gripping tightly for stability above him.

“I guess I’ve never really considered if I was sexy or not, never really… Had a reason to.” Jack panted, his eyes sweeping up and down her body above him, torn between wanting to focus on her face as it contorted with pleasure and the erotic sight of her fingering her slick center. She was gorgeous from head to toe and Jack was sure that he must have been some kind of superhuman saint in a previous life to earn the privilege of getting a front row seat to her pleasure like this.

Willow assured him through a ragged moan of breath that she found him very sexy, asking if he felt the same and he couldn’t help but laugh a bit at how ridiculous the notion was that he might not find her appealing. “Are you kidding me? Literally everything about you turns me on gorgeous. Just watching you touch yourself like this- Damn it’s so fucking hot.” Jack huffed in response, his pulse quickening just from the way she uttered his name in response to his words.

He took that as encouragement, wetting his lips and sweeping his hands over her body as she worked herself, “Your hair, your face, your voice, holy hell-” He started listing off her features as he touched her, “You have the most incredible blue eyes. And your body, god it’s a fucking work of art. Your skin is so soft, and your breasts are so perfect…” He continued, palming her pert breasts and pinching her rosy nipples between his fingers, making her jolt and whimper at the added sensation.

“The way your waist curves in like an hourglass, your hips catch my eye every time you walk by… Every inch of you is amazing Willow. Just looking at you makes me crazy, makes me hard, makes me want to see you come over and over…” He prompted, knowing listening to him was driving her pleasure higher and so he kept softly murmuring things he liked about her body, touching her gently but letting her control the flow of her own build up. 

She cursed as she drove herself closer to the edge and Jack’s body was nearly rigid again just watching her and listening to her desperate sounds, and he gave into the temptation to reach down and start pumping his shaft fully hard, groaning softly with her as his pleasure coiled low in his abdomen. 

He was pretty sure Willow had gotten lost in her own pleasure, but then she asked him in a mewling whisper if he was ready again yet and he chuckled, tugging her head back down to meet her lips in a deep kiss with his free hand.

“Been ready, just enjoying the show.” He murmured against her lips, grunting when she almost immediately leaned back and sheathed him in her body, sliding easily onto his thick length with how wet she was and they both gasped and groaned as she began bouncing rapidly in his lap. Her hand kept working her clit as she rode him and Jack could feel her walls fluttering around him, pulling him into her deeper. “Fuck… Fuck you’re almost there aren’t you baby? Don’t hold back gorgeous, I wanna see you come…” Jack breathed, pumping up into her wanting to see her lose it before he did.

Willow cried out, her head tipping back as she rode him in earnest. "Yes... yes! Ahh Jack!" She moaned, whimpering as she fluttered around him and clawed at his frame. She could feel him throbbing within her and a part of her wanted to let him fill her up again but she knew better.

Her back bowed, dragging her nails along his chest near enough to draw blood as she came around him. She grabbed at the side of his neck, arching over him and riding her high until he warned her to get off. She let him slip from her body, pressing her brow to his and stroking his shaft until he came against his belly.

The brunette smiled at him, "You never considered yourself sexy huh?" She asked, keeping their heads together as she smudged his seed with her hand. She drew her fingers to her lips and licked them clean with a hum. "What about... tasty?" She teased him.

Jack growled and kissed her hungrily, making her taste both their pleasures on his lips and hers. "Are you gonna make me leave?" She whispered, reaching to clean up their mess a bit. He grinned and told her she could stay.

Willow smiled and laid over him, nestled against his chest and it took little more than a quiet conversation and his fingers running through her hair for her to fall into the deepest sleep she had ever experienced.

She jolted at the sound of people outside, feeling Jack do the same. "Shit." She muttered, sitting up quickly and nearly tumbling out of bed. Jack grabbed her to keep her steady, reaching for their clothes and the pair hurriedly dressed again.

"I wasn't supposed to fall asleep. We shoulda set your watch or something." Willow panted as she fixed her hair in a rush and shook her head at Jack when he started opening the window. "No. The door. People are out there already. Finns probably sleepin." She whispered, turning to pull iit opened and there to greet them was her brother sitting against the opposite wall.

"Mornin. Well you're lookin better Jack." Finn said to Willow arching a brow at her and waiting for her to say something. 

Willow rolled her eyes and glared at him, "Screw you."

"Maybe close the curtains next time you snuggle with your boy. You gotta be fuckin kiddin me here Will! You realize what dad's gonna say?" He threatened, looking down the hall to see if anyone was coming. "You're lucky I walked by first."

"You realize I could tare yah to fuckin bits if dad finds out through you." She snipped quietly, standing in front of Jack when she saw the look of Finns face. "Don't you dare. Don't even look at him or I'll take your knife and chop your boys off so you can't have fun either."

Finn eased his hold on the butt of his gun he carried and stared back at her. "You're really fighting for him?" He scoffed, waiting for an answer but Willow simply squeezed Jacks hand behind her. He shook his head, "Wow." He took a moment and sighed, "Fine. But you've got a week to tell dad if this is fuckin legit. If not I will and I'll make sure it stops."

 

Jack’s eyes widened with alarm the moment he saw Willow’s twin looming in the doorway, though he had to admit there was a part of him that was grateful it was him and not Daryl. He listened to the siblings exchange harsh words, silently willing his lover not to further antagonize her brother since he essentially held Jack’s fate in his hands now that he knew about them.

He glanced down when Willow clasped his hand tightly, a wordless display of her conviction and Jack had to work to keep the wide grin off his face realizing that she was willing to stand by him even if this went bad. His light brown eyes tracked back up to Finn’s blue ones, holding his breath as he waited for the young man to respond. He wanted to pipe up, defend his case as it were but he figured that hearing from him now would only push Finn farther away from helping them since it was no secret the guy didn’t exactly love him.

Jack sighed gratefully when Finn finally agreed to keep their secret, putting a condition of one week to let the rest of the family know about their relationship or he’d do it for them. Jack nodded and finally made himself take a step forward to stand beside Willow, extending his hand towards her brother. 

“Thanks man, we’ll tell them. You have my word I just want to be with your sister and do my best to make her happy and keep her safe.” He assured him, letting his hand drop when Finn clearly wasn’t interested in shaking it. Still, at least he was giving them a chance. Maybe someday they might even get to be friends.

Finn reiterated his time table of one week, telling Jack in no uncertain terms he better mean what he said and promising he’d kill him or worse if he hurt his sister, and Jack was positive he meant it literally. Jack nodded again tightly, managing a smile despite just having his life threatened. 

“Right. I won’t let her or any of you down, I swear.” He responded, his shoulders slumping a bit in relief when Finn left the room and shut the door behind him, saying he’d keep watch in the hallway for five minutes so they could go their separate ways safely but not to forget that it was a one time assist.

“Well… I guess that could’ve gone worse. I’m still breathing at least.” Jack chuckled wryly, rubbing his face with his hand and turning to face his lover who was looking even more worried than he felt now that she wasn’t putting on a brave face in front of her brother. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright baby, you’ll see. Let’s just get it over with and tell them today, hmm? I’ve wanted to come clean about us for awhile now anyway, be able to kiss you, hold you without worrying about getting sniped from afar by a crossbow bolt.” He added with a warmer laugh, squeezing her upper arms and bending to catch her gaze when she bowed her head.

“Willow? What’s the matter?” He asked softly, taking a step closer into her space and using one hand to tip her chin back up to face him.

Willow fidgeted a bit after her twin left the room, fiddling with her fingers and letting Jack’s hand go. She only half listened to what he had to say about their little confrontation with her brother, wondering just what her father would think about the situation. Not to mention she had been hiding it from him for a while now hadn’t she? Maybe she made it worse, though she was almost positive that the women in her family had become privy to her attachment to Jack but they might not know the exact extent of the situation she had gotten into of her own accord.

She looked up at her lover when he reached for her, meeting his gaze and giving a sigh. “I’m scared okay?” She admitted, tugging from his grasp but he barely let her take a full step away before getting in her space again to urge her to tell him why that was. “Because…” She muttered, groaning, talking wasn’t exactly her forte and serious conversations weren’t her favorite thing to do without it ending in an argument… mostly because she was good at that part, arguing.

“Because I just don’t want you to disappear.” She said, meeting his eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. “You know my dad’s not a fan of yours right?” Willow asked, leaning by the window and indicating out toward the trenches where she knew he was. Jack shrugged, mentioning he was hoping that maybe he would be given a fair chance to show he could take care of her and treat her right.

The brunette laughed at him and shook her head, pushing at his hand on her hip. Her eyes watered, “Jack if they don’t approve of it. You and I can’t happen. Not here at least. This is serious. They won’t give you a chance to prove it if Daddy decides he doesn’t like it and I know he won’t. Carl’s a maybe… Finn… Finn’s gonna back up Dad because it’s what he does. It’s what he always does.” She told him.

“I really care about you.” Willow murmured, “Like a ton. And I won’t let them take you from me. I won’t let you end up as walker bait. They’ll—They’ll have to push me in the trenches too then because I’m never letting you go but it’s also scary to feel I might have to make the decision, Hero.” She cried, leaning into him and sniffling. “I don’t want to tell them. I don’t like this.”


End file.
